Why is the name 'Jack' so often used in folklore and to name a mischievious/ sinister character?

Question

Examples are: Spring-heeled Jack; Jack the Ripper; Jack Frost; Jack o'Lantern; Jack o' the Green; Jack Skellington (more recent); Jack Sparrow (also recent); Jack and the Beanstalk and so on

Answer 1

its a generic name for A man and a nickname for a men named John.
its origin was as an alternate word for Soldier
Just as we once called British Soldiers Red Coats
People once called Soldiers "jacks" because they wore a syle of Coat known as a jacket.

Sailors were called Jack Tar's because their Jackets were splotched with tar stains from the tar used to waterproof wooden ships.

Answer 2

I think part of it is that it is the nickname for John, which is a fairly common name, and so a lot of these folktale characters are sort of everyman types that we're all supposed to be able to relate to. With folktale villains and so forth, I suspect there's a message in the fact that they're given the name of everyman, sort of an implication that there is a dark side in the average person as well as the heroic.

Answer 3

You know I never realized that until now. I guess it comes from old folklore when people didn't have as many names as they do now. They just said "Jack is a bad man" and the stigma stuck.

Answer 4

Historically, it's been one of those "random names", the name you called the servant whether that was his name or not, the name you called the travelling salesmen, etc. etc. Kind of a historical John Doe sort of name. Good question.

Answer 5

Never thought about that one. It is kind of a mischievous name. lol