Comments for the name Jack

Middle English Jakke, borrowed from Low German and Dutch pet forms "Jankin" and "Jackin", which come from "Jan" (the German version of John). "Jankin" meaning literally "Little John". The surname "Jenkins" also derives from "Jankin". Occasionally Jack is derived as an Anglicization of similar-sounding Jewish names.

There is a theory that says Jack has been used in Britain for a much wider selection of traditionally English names. Two volumes; "The kinship of Jack, I & II" by Peter McClure of the University of Hull, describe it as a pet-form of Middle English personal names with the suffixes -kin, -ke, -man, -cot, -cus and -cok".

Famous bearer: Captain Jack Sparrow, the character played by Johnny Depp in the hit film Pirates of the Carribbean.

Johnny Depp's son is called Jack and he named him after Jack the Ripper!

Johnny Depp (John Christopher Depp II)'s son, Jack, was born John Christopher Depp III.

ACTUALLY, John Christopher Depp III is the name of actor Johnny Depp. His son (Jack) is the fourth.

Another famous bearer of this name: Jack Skellington, the charming and boney main character in Tim Burton's classic horror-fantasy animation A Nightmare Before Christmas.

A famous bearer is "Jack Bauer", the main character of hit series "24" that works for CTU, or Counter Terrorist Unit.

Two nursery rhymes are "Jack be Nimble" and "Jack and Jill."

If you're thinking about calling your son Jack then please don't. It is so overused and I'm sick of hearing it. Think about when they are at school and they have to share the name with so many others.

Common!? Yeah, right. There are NO Jacks in my school. There are no Jacks I know, period. A shame, as I love the name.

An (in)famous bearer is the anti-video game lawyer, Jack Thompson, whom I loathe.

In South Australia, during the mid 19th century, most Cornish men were called "Cousin Jack" because there were so many Cornish people who migrated there.

I think Jack is wonderful name for a boy, if a bit overused. If I have a son someday, his name will be Jack.

Ozzy Osbourne's son's name is Jack.

Jack Johnson is surfer and musician.

A "famous" bearer of this incredible name is that of Jack Dawson, the character in the award-winning Titanic, played by Leonardo DiCapreo!

Famous bearer is Jack Nicholson, an Academy Award-winning American actor.

This is one of the hottest names out there for a guy.

Michael W. Smith played Jack in The Tribe. ;)

Jack Harkness from the 2005 season of "Doctor Who" and the spin-off, "Torchwood."

John F. Kennedy was nicknamed Jack.

Jack is an adorable name! And is certain to be hot later on in his teen-age years.

Jack Napier was the original name of the arch-villain the Joker in DC Comics' 'Batman' series.

In Pirates of the Carribean, the little monkey is named Jack. :D.

I agree with everyone that says this name is used too much! Really do think before you name your kids. It gets kind of annoying when someone is screaming your name down the hall but they are actually talking to someone else. This is what comes when you have a popular name. This was the 34th most popular name of 2005. Even if you don't know many Jacks now, it's getting more popular and there will be a lot of Jacks in the years to come. And what's up with everyone giving their kids nicknames? Jack was used as a nickname for John. Please name your child John and call him Jack! Then he can decide if he wants to be called Jack or John. If you name your kid Jack you have already given him the nickname, there would be no point in calling him John.

And as for the personalitys that come with this name. The Jacks that I have met all had the "I'm better than you are" kind of attitude. I don't think they would have the same attitude if their names were Bob.

That comment about personalities, Mr./Miss Anonymous, is totally unfounded and stupid. Come on. Like the difference between Jack and Bob determines someone's attitude towards anyone else or anything else? I hardly think so. Jack is just as normal as Bob, and I really don't see where you get that idea from. I don't think names determine personalities.

There is a kind of cheese called Monterrey Jack cheese, and another called Colby-Jack cheese (that one is a combination of Monterrey Jack and Colby cheeses), and a third called Pepper Jack cheese (that one is Monterrey Jack with pepper pieces in it).

Jack Shephard is the main character in the great tv show 'Lost'.

Richard Dean Anderson played Jack O'Neill in Stargate SG-1.

I absolutely love this name. If I had a son I would name him Jack. It's short and simple but it still sounds cool and tasteful. You don't get that with a name like Bob, Joe or Todd. Jack is also a bit romantic from a woman's point of view, I think.

I always thought this was the coolest name for a boy. Even if he was a nerd, you can't help but be cool with a name like Jack. Too bad my husband's name is Sparrow.

This is one of the few "older names" that I think hasn't lost its touch. It's not like a John or a Joe. It's a great name.

I think it's a plain name. And way too overused.

This is also a slang term, mostly used when describing an act performed by males, normally 13-23 in age.

I really like this name, although it strikes me as a little odd for a first name sometimes. It seems to work insanely well for a middle name all the time. It also happens to be my nickname.

Jack Andrew is the son of Joan Lunden and Jeff Konigsberg, he is also the twin brother of Kimberly Elise.

I happen to adore this name. It isn't common, but it's a common name; incredibly fabulous. A famous bearer of this would have to be Jack Fairy, the original glam rocker in Velvet Goldmine. Of course, now all the good parents are going to be shocked, but whatever, I'm a novelist.

Jack Twist is Jake Gyllenhaal's character in Brokeback Mountain. As his lover's wife says, "Jack Twist? Jack Nasty! You didn't go up there to fish!"

Originally I hated Jack because of the nickname associated with John and knowing someone who was called that. But with the release of Pirates of the Caribbean and the introduction of Captain Jack Sparrow, Jack has begun to grow on me. Now I'm actually starting to possibly love it.

Titanic! Obviously. Beautiful, simple name. Hardly over-used at all.

As popular as the name Jack has always been I would not say that it is over used at all and I can honestly say that I have never met a Jack in my life. It is having a burst of popularity thanks to recent films but it was still only 34th in 06' so although it isn't over the top and weird I would still say that it is unique and timeless, it screams sophistication and approachability. I love this name, it just works.

This name IS overused. At least it is for babies and grandfathers. To posters that say, "it's not overused, I don't know any Jacks!": well, maybe not over-used in YOUR age group. But this name is extremely popular right now. It's a great name though, timeless and classic. If it weren't so popular, I would use it. But I don't want my child to be known as "Jack M."

I love this name! It seems like one of those few names out there that will grow with the person. Jack is an adorable baby name, will be fine through his childhood, and turns into a strong name for a grown and married man. ♥

Sounds kinda hot, in my opinion.

Scary though. Makes me think of Jack the Ripper.

Jack L. Chalker, author of over 50 science fiction books.

I love the name Jack. It was both my husband's and my grandfather's name/nickname. It's classic, strong, masculine, and easy to say. I named my 3 year old Jack and I LOVE it. He is big, strong, smart, handsome and charming- Jack is the perfect name.

I was disappointed to see it climb the charts after we had our son (in 2003 it wasn't as popular). We don't know any other Jacks at this point - maybe we are a year ahead of the surge.

I have to say that Jack being used as a nickname for John is completely counterintuitive but I love the name. I've only ever known one Jack but, to me, the name fits a fun, good-humored guy who gets things done.

I like the name Jack, and actually don't know ANYONE with this name.

I love the name Jack. This is my grandfather's nickname. It makes me think of someone handsome and adventurous, like Jack Ryan from the books by Tom Clancy. And to the adventurous part but not the handsome part, Jack Bauer.

One of the main male characters in Will & Grace is named Jack. I can't believe no-one has mentioned that yet!

Country music singer Jack Ingram is singer of "Love You" and "Lips of an Angel".

Great name! My uncle is named Jack, my grandpa is John and my sister and grandma are both Jackies so I don't know if I'd ever use it, but it's a really nice name for a boy.

Jack is a earth based character on the manga/anime seires Mar or Marchen Awakens Romance.

Jack is really nice name, strong, handsome and nice-sounding, unlike John or Jacob or Jake etc. I wouldn't name my son Jack, but when I write my stories, there usually is at least one Jack in each story.

I think that this name is ridiculously popular. Parents should avoid this name I think as many of their fellow classmtes are probably going to be called this.

Wasn't there a Jack the Ripper in Whitechapel, London 1888ish?

Ugly, Ugly, Ugly. Don't name a kid this, and if you do at least name it John!

I'm a girl and I used to tell people that my name was Jack because that's what my family called me. (short for Jaclyn) They would think I was very weird and tell me that it was a boys name. To me, that made it even better. I guess you could say I don't like being 'normal'. Hah. Anyway, I love the name Jack. I guess it stems from my adoration of Jack Skellington. It always gives off a cool energy from whoever is named it.

Jack White! Guitar god of The White Stripes. Personally, I love this name.

Awesome name but WAY too popular in the UK. If I were to use it I would actually use John as the proper name on the birth certificate but use Jack as a nickname almost all the time.

While I admit that Jack is becoming very common in the younger age group (there are two in my son's kindergarten class of 26) I still love, love, love it! I think it's becoming so common because it is such an awesome nickname for so many other names as well as good alone: Jackson, Jonathan, John, one of my son's friends is named Jacques after his father and called Jack and my daughter has a classmate named Jason after his father who is called Jack as well.

Too common too simple too boring. Don't use it.

I like this name. Simple, and I can see it used for a heroic person. Like that dude from 24.

Academy-Award winning actor Jack Lemmon (1925-2001) is a famous bearer of this name. He was born John Uhler Lemmon III.

I know lots of Jacks but despite this I don't think that it's common anyway. I think it's sexy.

Boring, Boring, Boring, chosen by people who can't think of anything better due to lack of imagination, boys called Jack will meet about 50 others when they start school.

The British flag is called the Union Jack.

Jack is not over-used. I don't know a single Jack, no matter in what age group. I love this name though. It's such a cool name for a boy.

I like it, for boys or girls. Nice, simple, brilliant.

I love this name, it sounds realy cool and when he's still small, you could call a Jack Jackie or something. I would love to be able to use this name for a son someday.

A famous bearer of the name Jack is the character Jack Mercer, from Four Brothers, played by Garrett Hedlund. He is emotional, and an aspiring artist. I personally love the name Jack. It sounds masculine, yet soft at the same time. So many cool people have this name. The only things marring it are that it is a bit common, and there's this jerk at my school who's nickname is Jack. I would love to meet someone nicer with that name, though.

Jack can also be short for Jackson. I personally like Jackson better, but I like Jack too.

I am a teacher and believe me Jack is overused. I teach in a school in a large city in the southeast - kindergarten through 8th grade. We have 15 Jacks in our school alone (so obviously some multiple Jacks in a class) and when I am out in public I am constantly hearing that name being yelled/called by parents. It is a nice, classic name with a good sound. But enough is enough. I agree with a previous poster that I wouldn't want my son to be known as Jack M. or Jack B. in his class of Jacks. I always laugh to myself when someone tells me they are naming their son Jack because "it is just so unique and different". And believe me I have had people tell me that. I hope they aren't disappointed when the name continues climbing up the top 100 names chart. But if one doesn't care about how popular a name is- then I think this is a great name.

Ewwww! I hate this name. It sounds like Jack-off.

This name is soooooooo boring, and all the people who say that they don't know a single Jack are going to name their son Jack and then their son will be called for example Jack B., Jack L., etc.

Jack is the name of Chandler and Monica's adopted twin son in the TV series Friends. The other twin was called Erica.

Jack is a nickname, not a real name. Upper middle class trash name their kids Jack because they think it has a tough, working class feel that will somehow offset the child's effete, pampered reality. Crappy name.

Author C. S. Lewis went by this name. At the age of four, he declared that he would henceforth be known as Jack.

Maybe this name is overused in the UK in certain age groups, but in the US I have never met a single person of any generation named or called Jack. Johnny or J are more common nicknames for John, or it's just a nickname for any guy, like Buddy or Joe.

My husband's name is Jack and he's always liked the name. He says he's glad it's not John. I personally love the name, having only heard the name Jack from people on TV, radio etc. And I hate when someone places comments here saying not to name your kid this name. What do you care?

Well, despite being commonly used in certain expressions, like ''Jack of all trades, master of none'' and ''you don't know Jack s**t'', and despite the expression ''Jack off'', this is a pretty safe name, being so common and traditional and all. It's not the most pleasant-sounding name, but neither is it ugly. The name should be fairly unproblematic, as long as the surname isn't Hoff, ha ha. But the name is far too common by all means.

I love this name. I also love the history of it. It was very popular in the middle ages. Also popular in fairy tales and nursery rhymes. How sweet is that. So it has a soft side to it and yet a manly side to it. Which makes this name a joy. I truly like this name. Maybe I will consider it someday if I have a son. Despite popularity of the name it is a classic name and not a trendy one. Thankfully for that. There is a difference between popular and trendy. I don't mind using a popular name. I don't care for trendy or kre8tive names. Jack is a classic. It a historical name. It is also a variant of John, Jake and Jacob. So it would be a great way to honor those names.

Billy Boyd, best known for his roll as Pippin in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, is father of Jack William Boyd.

I hate this name. It sounds ugly, and is a prefix for several vulgar words. It's also massively overused, especially in the UK and Australia.

In the hit TV show 'Scrubs', character Perry Cox convinces his ex-wife to name their son Jack, since he dislikes the name she has come up with, Quinn, to honour her father. He thinks that Jack is a manly name, unlike Quinn.

I have met five Jacks. Far overused - the Jacks at karate class make up a good third of the class!

Of all the many Jacks, my favorite is Jack Sawyer of Stephen King and Peter Straub's 1984 novel The Talisman.

There is a character called Jack Spicer in a cartoon called Xiaolin Showdown.
Jack Spicer was also a poet who died in 1965.

Jack can also be spelt Jak.

My brother's name is Jack, and he's pretty awesome. So what if it's a little popular? At least he's not swimming among all the Jacobs out there. I only know a few other Jacks, but I think it's still a good name for a little kid and for an adult.

Jack is the main character of the critically acclaimed first person shooter Bioshock.

In the 1991 movie, Hook, Peter Pan's son's name was Jack.

Something about this common name seems to fascinate people. The name itself is a "Jack of All Trades"- it is extremely versatile. It has a rather sharp end. Jack is used quite a lot, but it still is a good hearty name.

I really like the name Jack. And I don't think it is overused. In fact, it should be used more often!

Yes, it is a very common name, plus it is used in a lot of nursery rhymes. I personally don't mind that it's a nickname. Naming your son John and calling him Jack? Wouldn't work these days. John and Jack are two different names these days, plus I prefer when children are called by their given name at least by their parents.

This name has a great sound to it.

Jack in the Green is a figure from traditional May Day celebrations who is covered in garlands. He is a trickster figure, sometimes identified as the mysterious Green Man who embodies the spirit of the woods cf Puck, Robin Hood etc.

I think Jack is the most perfect name for a boy - short, simple and masculine, but with layers of meaning and associations. But maybe that's because my Uncle Jack is my favorite relative.

Jack is one of the quire boys/hunters in "Lord of the Flies".

I think this name is alright, but I'm not too mad on it. For me, it has a strong affiliation with the Jack-in-the-box wind-up toys, or a bit of a "Jack the lad", so for me the name conjures up images of the bearer either being a complete nutter or somebody who sleeps around a lot and is generally a bit of a cad, so for me, this name is alright, but it sounds a bit cheap and overused. :\

I wouldn't name my kid Jack because, as you can see from the other comments, Hollywood has totally tried to sexy it up. In the past 15 years, every other leading man is named Jack. I immediately think of a clenched-jawed tough-but-pretty boy in some sort of love triangle. Shame, otherwise it's a really cool name.

Oh, how I wish this name wasn't so popular in the UK! I've just counted, and I know at least 11 Jacks. Darn.

Jack Black, a comedian/actor.

I adore this name! Cute on a little boy but you can picture it on an old man!

This is my brother's name. I always thought it sounded kind of dorky.

The main protagonist of The Pillars of the Earth (both a book and a mini-series) is called Jack Jackson (in the series played by Eddie Redmayne).

I disagree with the statement that Jack and John are and have long been considered separate names. Jack has always been the diminutive of John. Traditionally among English speaking people, Jack was not used as a proper given name, but only as a nickname. It has only been in this century that, usually through ignorance, boys have actually been named Jack instead of John. Even the famous Jack's that are sighted were not named Jack. Jack London's name was John. Jack Kerouac's name was Jean-Louis. Jack Nicholson, Jack Kennedy, Jack Lemmon, Jack Hawkins, Jack Lord, Jack Warden, and Jack Straw were all named John and most other famous Jacks were named Jacob or another given name. Even Jack Russell terriers are named for a man named John Russell. I believe it would be difficult to find anyone before the 20th century actually named Jack on their birth certificate. It simply wasn't done, just as you don't name someone Jim instead of James or Bob instead of Robert or Dick instead of Richard. It has only been during the last few decades that many people seem to have forgotten this custom. This was commonly known by English speaking people and is still quite commonly known, even in popular culture. For instance in the film "Scent of a Woman" Al Pacino makes a joke that he knows Jack Daniels so well he calls him John, indicating a reverse formalizing of the commonly known nick name. This did not need explaining in the film, it was understood. Jack is commonly used in nursery rhymes and old slang because it is the informal, familiar version of John, one of the most common names in the English language throughout history. [noted -ed]

Whenever I think of the name Jack, I think of a crazy axe murderer running through the overlook hotel with intentions to kill his wife and son.
.____.

Just me?

A famous bearer is Jack Barakat, lead guitarist of the pop-punk band All Time Low.

It is a really sexy name. And that is NOT a bad thing.

"Jack" is a very classy, masculine, and ageless name (as a diminutive of "John," certainly). It is one of the few (nick)names that does not necessarily point to a certain ethnicity, overly so (.. though, myself, I view it as Irish simply because I had Uncles who bore it).

Be proud.

The current leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada is Jack Layton.

Also used as a diminutive for Jacob.

Jack Hamilton Bush (1909-1977) was one of Canada's leading abstract painters.

I really, really like this name. It is EXTREMELY overused, I know 4 Jacks in my PE class of 20, 2 different Jacks on my brother's basketball team, and 7 more in my math class (None are repeats, I swear.) Even still, I think it is a strong, powerful name and love talking to anybody with the name Jack. To me it signifies happiness, intelligence, hard-workingness and responsibility. It is a classic name that will never go out of style.

To the one person who said Jack is a classy name, I agree with you on that, but if you are a nerd and your name is Jack, you are definitely NOT automatically cool. I think overall the name helps, but don't name your kid Jack just for the purpose of it giving them future respect. This is not necessarily true...

Jack Kerouac was a famous American novelist. He was born as Jean-Louis Kerouac in 1922 in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Jack Carter is the Sheriff in the Sci-fi series Eureka. He is portrayed by Colin Ferguson.

Soo common with little kids but I still like it, it's one of those "safe classic" names that are still common like Jacob or Michael, and sounds good as a nickname for John or as a name on its own :)

Every third kid under 10 these days is named Jack, but I still like it. It sounds handsome and manly without being too macho. John is a family name, so I'd name a son John and call him Jack.

Everyone is saying how common this name is, but it was actually even more common in the 20's... So to the person who said it's only used as a full name in modern times, that's incorrect. I agree with this being common, but I was surprised to see it wasn't even in the top 20. William is number three currently, and I don't know any little boys named William. Same with Sophia, which is number one for girls. Weird.