Jack

This name is everywhere. It belongs to dolls that pop out of musical boxes, fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters, and famous people. That name is Jack.

We all know that Jack is a diminutive of John, but how did it come to be? It comes from Jackin, the medieval diminutive of John. Not surprisingly, the nickname became common in the Middle Ages. It even became the slang term for "man," thus being used in stories such as Jack in the Beanstalk.

Jack has been an independent name since the nineteenth century. In the United States, the name was always in the top 200. It ranked in the top 100 between 1880 and 1962 and again since 1996. It could even make the top 10 for the first time soon. The name is also used in all other English-speaking nations. For instance, Jack was a top 100 name in early twentieth century England and again since the 1980s. It ranked in the English top 10 from 1996 to 2020. 

Beyond the English world, Jack is used in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. This being said, the name is known in some foreign languages. That is one of the main ingredients of a classic name.

Throughout its long history, Jack associated itself with nursery rhymes such as Jack and Jill and Little Jack Horner, fairy tales like Jack and the Beanstalk, writer Jack London (1876-1916), and other famous people. These connections make the name a perennial that feels fresher than John.

STYLES:

Literary, Nickname, Timeless

SISTERS:

Lucy, Kate, Molly, Rose, Annie, Sarah, Emily, Phoebe

BROTHERS:

Alex, Nate, Toby, Charlie, Miles, Joe, Ethan, Henry

ALTERNATIVES:

Beck, Cole, Drew, Gus, Hank, Jem, Jude, Rafe

What do you think about Jack?

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