What is so special about the Doe in John Or Jane Doe, When a person is dead with no ID?

Question

I just dont understand why Doe is so special. Like why Doe?

Answer 1

It is just a generic name...John and Jane are common names and Doe is just a short last name.

Answer 2

The name Doe was chosen to imply that a person has been given an 'unidentified' classification. It was probably picked for usage from the famous film 'Meet John Doe.' That John Doe was a character created to represent the common, the average person.

As to why the name Doe is used it probably has to do with the fact that it's not nearly a common name as a name like Smith or Jones.

It is not a special name. It is simply a name used in police and forensic procedures to label the person as unidentified. All police departments across the country have adopted this as the common term.

How could cities like New York, Dallas, New Orleans and Butte communicate easily if each investigation division used different terms for police procedures?

Answer 3

the practice of using John Doe or Jane Doe has an interesting historical context. If you want to learn about it, follow this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Doe