Why Do They Use The Names John Doe Or Jane Doe For Unidentified Corpses Of A Males Or Females?

There is quite a bit of discussion about this. There was a lovely story posted on the internet that John Doe and Richard Roe were originally made-up names, used in 15th century England to stand for a fictional plaintiff and defendant in certain court cases. However, no one has managed to find any evidence for it yet; and if this name is British in origin, it's odd that it only ever seems to be used in America.

It's easier to understand why the names "John" and "Jane" would be used, since they are both so popular, and John is often used generically (as in a "dear John" letter, a template for ending a relationship.) But so far everyone seems to have drawn a blank on "Doe." It's certainly been in use in the US for a long time, and was given a boost in the 1940s by Frank Capra's film "Meet John Doe" (again involving a fictitious name.)

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