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by tattoohead on July 14th, 2005

tattoohead

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My name is Jack. Why do some older folks ask if my real name is John?

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  • by Encyclopedia_John on July 14th, 2005

    Encyclopedia_John

    Because Jack is the nickname for John; i.e. "Jack Kennedy". It comes from the French name "Jaques", which is the same name as "John" in English.

    Edit in response to tattoohead: Way back in 1066 AD England was conquered by french-speaking Normans. For hundreds of years after that, England was a bilingual nation; they spoke both French and English. That is how "John" and "Jaques" came to be interchangeable.

    Most people assume that if you are called "Jack", your real name is "John". This will be a problem for you for the rest of your life, especially in formal situations. On stuff like school diplomas, wedding invitations, even your obituary in the newspaper, your name will likely be printed as "John". I feel sorry for you.

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