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"Jack" as a nickname for John

cjsbdlcjsbdl member
in Baby Names

My husband and I have had a really hard time coming up with a boy name option for this baby and since we may be going Team Green, we would need to at least narrow down names for a boy and a girl. 

We want to include at least one family name and we really like John Charles (Charles is my grandfather's middle name and my deceased brother's first name), but we are considering calling him "Jack," which was my other grandfather's name.

I know Jack has long been considered a common nickname for John, but I'm a little worried that it's not as common these days and it might confuse people more than a normal nickname would.

So I guess my question is, do YOU think of Jack as a nickname for John and would the nickname make sense to you, or would you be scratching your head and wondering if we'd lost our minds if you were our friends.

I'm just curious

(FWIW, my paternal grandfather's name was Hugh Denford, and he was called Jack all his life, which I think is really odd especially since he had no idea where the nickname came from.)

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Re: "Jack" as a nickname for John

  • biblionerdbiblionerd member
    My grandfather's given name is John and he's always been called Jack. I never understood it growing up and I still really don't honestly. Sorry!
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  • biblionerdbiblionerd member
    ...and why wouldn't you just name him Jack if that's what you want to call him??
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  • veganxangelveganxangel
    I prefer Jack as a name on it's own, maybe you can just name DS Jack in honor of John? I just don't understand using a nickname for a 1 syllable name.
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  • cjsbdlcjsbdl member

    imagebiblionerd:
    My grandfather's given name is John and he's always been called Jack. I never understood it growing up and I still really don't honestly. Sorry!

    But you do recognize Jack as a nickname for John, which is what I wanted to know. So this does help...thanks.

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  • calex33calex33
    I also don't understand why Jack is a nn for John, but I do recognize that it is.  I have a friend who is due next month and is naming the baby John Steven after her dad and her DH's dad and they are calling him Jack.  When I told my husband that, he had never heard of Jack as a nn for John (until I reminded him of JFK).
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  • cjsbdlcjsbdl member

    imagebiblionerd:
    ...and why wouldn't you just name him Jack if that's what you want to call him??

    I don't know...because I don't want to, I guess. I just don't like the name Jack Charles...I like the more formal John Charles as a given name even if he's not going to be called that. It's just a personal preference.

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  • BelleBabyBelleBaby member

    This is one I've never understood.  To me, a nickname is something shorter than the original, for example, Ben/Benjamin, Charlie/Charles, Matt/Matthew, etc. 

    FWIW, I absolutely love both names.  John Charles is a great name, whether you call him John, Jack, J.C., or Bill. Smile

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  • Mrs.DeputyMrs.Deputy member
    I do recognize Jack as a nn for John, but I really prefer the name John.
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  • hutch0830hutch0830 member
    I was just saying this morning how much I love Jack as a nn for John!
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  • anna7602anna7602 member
    I definitely think of it as an accepted nn for John. I immediately thought of JFK. There are tons of nicknames out there that don't seem to "make sense," (like Pepe for Jose, Peggy for Margaret or Sally for... Sarah?), but it seems to me like they are well-known, even if the reasons behind the names are a mystery.
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  • GulfCoasterGulfCoaster
    I do recognize it as a nn for John, and I think it's a nice one.  I'm with you -- I'd rather give a more formal name as an "alternative," even though the nn could stand alone.
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  • KmhsswimKmhsswim member
    I'm a teacher and this year I have a John on my roster, but he goes by Jack. 
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  • plunderbplunderb member

    I definitely recognize Jack as a nickname for John. It has been that way for centuries, so anyone who is confused is either not at all familiar with English-language names or has not been paying attention.

    I agree w/ you and pp ? the formal name w/ a nickname is the way to go.

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  • BethPSUBethPSU member

    Yes, I have two great uncles named John that go by Jack.  I have no problem with it but my DH always thinks it's a bit strange.  I think Jack is becoming a more popular nn for Jackson, but I like the name John better than Jackson.  

    I once saw a man at airport security arguing with the TSA guy because his boarding pass said "Jack", but his ID said John.  The TSA guy said he had never heard of that as a nn for John and I was baffled.  I don't know if they ended up letting him on the flight or not!  This is is coming from someone who's formal first name is Beryl, but goes by Beth. hahah 

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  • scoutkatescoutkate member
    imageplunderb:

    I definitely recognize Jack as a nickname for John. It has been that way for centuries, so anyone who is confused is either not at all familiar with English-language names or has not been paying attention.

    I agree w/ you and pp ? the formal name w/ a nickname is the way to go.

    This 100%.  I don't know how anyone could not recognize Jack as a nn for John.  Jack as a standalone name really bugs me for some reason.

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  • happyin10happyin10
    Yes- absolutely.  Jack is a nickname for John and I wouldn't think twice about it if I heard that.  In fact, a friend of mine's son is Jack, but formal name is John after the baby's father.  I think this is totally fine.
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  • TripMommaTripMomma member
    I never understood it. John and Jack are not only the same length and syllable count but they are two totally different names, one really doesn't come off to me as a nn for the other.

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  • ubermooseubermoose
    I recognize it as a traditional nickname for Jack. I'm not sure how it began, but if a John was called Jack, I could easily roll with it.
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  • kararae55kararae55
    I've never heard of Jack as a nn for John and think it's silly to give the one syllable name John a nn.
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  • BetchySproutBetchySprout member

    My son is Jack, real name John Edward. Hisdadsname Mydadsname. It was a compromise. 

    I say go for it :-)  

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  • starlight8323starlight8323 member

    imageGulfCoaster:
    I do recognize it as a nn for John, and I think it's a nice one.  I'm with you -- I'd rather give a more formal name as an "alternative," even though the nn could stand alone.

    Agreed!

    I love John w/ the nn Jack!

    But unfortunately, I wouldn't use it, because he'd still blend right in with all the other Jacksons, Jaxsons, Jaxsons, Jaxs, and "Just Jack"s

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  • starlight8323starlight8323 member
    imageBethPSU:

    Yes, I have two great uncles named John that go by Jack.  I have no problem with it but my DH always thinks it's a bit strange.  I think Jack is becoming a more popular nn for Jackson, but I like the name John better than Jackson.  

    I once saw a man at airport security arguing with the TSA guy because his boarding pass said "Jack", but his ID said John.  The TSA guy said he had never heard of that as a nn for John and I was baffled.  I don't know if they ended up letting him on the flight or not!  This is is coming from someone who's formal first name is Beryl, but goes by Beth. hahah 

    Yes it's ridiculous that the TSA guy didn't know about the nn, but I also think it's ridiculous that John had Jack on his boarding pass.

    Ladies, if you have a child with a nn, please be sure to teach them in which situations he or she should use his or her given/formal name.

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  • clairejclairej
    My husband is a John who goes by Jack, as was his grandfather. So of course I like it.  He's certainly met people who were surprised to learn that his name was a nn for John, but I don't think it's really caused any problems for him. Personally I thought this was common knowledge but apparently not. Anyway, I always prefer using the more formal version of a name as a child's given name and this is no exception.
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