Does anybody know why the British flag is called a Union Jack???

Question

I've been dying to get the answer to this question, but since I live in USA, no one knows. This is going to kill me!!!

Answer 1

The issue of whether it is acceptable to use the term "Union Jack" is one that causes considerable controversy. Although it is often asserted that "Union Jack" should only be used for the flag when it is flown as a jack (a small flag flown at the bow of a ship), it is not universally accepted that the "Jack" of "Union Jack" is a reference to such a jack flag; other explanations have been put forward [1]. The term possibly dates from the early 1700s, but its origin is uncertain. The word Jack may have come from the name of James VI, King of Scots who inherited the English crown, causing the flag to be designed, that is Jac from Jacobus, Latin for James. The size and power of the Royal Navy internationally at the time could also explain why the flag was nicknamed the "Union Jack"; considering the navy was so widely utilised and renowned by the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries, it is possible that the term "Jack" did occur due to its regular usage on all British ships using the "Jack Staff" (a flag pole attached to the bow of a ship), indeed the term 'Jack' is used for sailors, hence the phrase 'Jack of all trades'. Even if the term "Union Jack" does derive from the jack flag (as perhaps seems most likely), after three centuries, it is now sanctioned by usage, has appeared in official usage, and remains the popular term. The BBC website disregards the term "union flag" because of its "great potential for confusion", preferring union jack (in lower case)[2] The term "Union Flag", on the other hand, is the term preferred in official documents by vexillologists. The Merchant Shipping Act 1995[3] refers to the national colours of the United Kingdom as "the Union flag (commonly known as the Union Jack) …".

Answer 2

Ok, heres a short answer, without cutting and pasting Wikipedia!!!!

The Union Jack is a term that really should only be applied to the Flag of Great Britain when it is flown on a ship, the small flags on ships were traditionally called Jacks.
It is called the Union Flag because it represents the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (after 1922, just northern Ireland). So you can tell people in the good old US of A that unless they fly it on a ship, its not the Union Jack at all!

I still think its one of the most original designs and not lazy like painting three stripes.

Answer 3

The Union Flag, popularly known as the *Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is the British flag.

It is called the Union Flag because it symbolizes the administrative union of the countries of the United Kingdom. It is made up up of the individual Flags of three of the Kingdom's countries all united under one Sovereign - the countries of 'England, of 'Scotland' and of 'N/Ireland' (since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom). As Wales was not a Kingdom but a Principality it could not be included on the flag.
The following pages will tell you how the *Union Flag (Union Jack) came to be the UK's national flag and the making of the United Kingdom.
(Click on the arrow below)

*'Union Jack' was officially acknowledged as an alternative name for the Union Flag by the Admiralty and Parliament in the early 20th century. The term 'jack' refers to the flag that is flown from the bowsprit of a ship, often denoting nationality.


The Union Flag is commonly known as the Union Jack, although the exact origin of the name is unclear. One explanation is that it gets its name from the "jack staff" of naval vessels from which the original Union Flag was flown.

Answer 4

The Union Flag is sometimes known as the Union Jack after its creator, James I of England, James VI of Scots. Jack comes from the Latin for James, Jacobus.

James became King of Scots at one year old when his mother Mary Queen of Scots was deposed by rebel Scottish Lords. James patiently waited another thirty-five years until his aunt, Elizabeth I of England died and he succeeded to the throne of England.

James wanted to unite his two kingdoms but the Parliaments of the two sovereign nations opposed it vigorously. James persistently asked his Parliaments to bring about a plan for union but they continually came up with objections. Meanwhile, James did what he could to effect a unification. Firstly, he declared himself ‘King of Great Britain’, a term he created for his new kingdom. James also minted a new coin, which could be used in either England or Scotland. He named it the ‘Unite’. It was worth five shillings in Sterling and three pounds in Scots. (The Scottish currency had been greatly devalued during James reign in Scotland).

Most importantly, James created the new flag overlaying the English cross of St George on the Scottish cross of St Andrew to form a new National Flag. He rejected other designs suggested by his advisors on the grounds that they were not ‘united’. The Union Flag was augmented in 1801 when Ireland became part of The United Kingdom.

James never saw the union of England and Scotland. His great granddaughter, Queen Anne, brought about the Union in 1707.

http://www.wardsbookofdays.com/12april.htm