"John Doe" and "Jane Roe" in Japanese

quamp

止まれません!

15 Jan 2007

83

1

• 11 Aug 2007

• #1

John Doe is the name used in English when a person's real name isn't known, or used to refer to the average man on the street. Jane Roe is the female equivalent of this.
I've been asked to help translate a murder mystery into Japanese. The victim's name isn't revealed until the middle of the story, but he gets murdered at the beginning. They refer to him as John Doe until the middle of the story. I was wondering what the Japanese equivalent to this names is, and what the female version would be

I know in Spanish they use the most common names: Juan Perez and Maria Perez. I understand Watanabe is one of the most common names in Japan. So is it something Watanabe?
:?

 

N

nhk9

先輩

27 Aug 2004

415

12

• 12 Aug 2007

• #2

From Wikipedia:

山田太郎 (Yamada Taro, a common male name), 山田花子 (Yamada Hanako, a common female name), 名無しの権兵衛 (Nanashi-no-Gombee, 名無しの meaning nameless, 兵衛 (hyoue) meaning member of the imperial guard and 権 (gon) being used to describe titles or positions, "Nameless member of the imperial guard". The term was transformed into nanashi-gonbee, meaning colloquial "Nameless Mr. So-and-so), 何野某 (Nanno Nanigashi), 土左衛門 (Dozaemon, a drowned corpse)

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Twenty-year veteran

15 Mar 2002

16,758

2,298

• 12 Aug 2007

• #3

Sometimes referred to as 仏 (hotoke) when the name is not known. I think that is largely a police slang/jargon thing, though, and not used on documents.

(I thought females were Jane Doe. Never heard "Jane Roe" before).

EDIT:

Need to clarify that the 仏 slang is used only in the case of corpses. And sometimes used even when the name is known, I believe.

 

Last edited: 14 Aug 2007

Elizabeth

先輩

22 Apr 2003

9,839

135

• 12 Aug 2007

• #4

Mike Cash said:

Sometimes referred to as 仏 (hotoke) when the name is not known. I think that is largely a police slang/jargon thing, though, and not used on documents.

(I thought females were Jane Doe. Never heard "Jane Roe" before).

Click to expand...

"Jane Roe" was the pseudonym of the woman who helped win the right to legalized abortion in the United States. I've never heard it used to refer to an anonymous or average person outside that context.

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Twenty-year veteran

15 Mar 2002

16,758

2,298

• 12 Aug 2007

• #5

I feel silly now, Elizabeth. I've heard "Roe v. Wade" a zillion times in my life and never made the connection to "Roe" being a placeholder name. (Always wondered how the baby in that case felt.....he's out there somewhere, you know).

 

quamp

止まれません!

15 Jan 2007

83

1

• 13 Aug 2007

• Thread starter
• #6

私はばか です.
I looked everywhere for this except wikipedia.

Legally speaking, Jane Roe is the correct name for a woman whose real name is not known. Although it is seen sometimes as Jane Doe, butt usually in informal situations.

(The Roe in Roe vs. Wade was really named Norma. She didn't want her real name being used due to the sensitive nature of her case.)

 

Tomii515

やった～！

16 Feb 2006

1,206

21

• 19 Aug 2007

• #7

My friend's name is Jane Ro =D

haha