Jane Doe
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of Jane Doe
First recorded in 1935–40; feminine of John Doe
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Now let’s meet a hypothetical couple, John and Jane Doe; they’re both 30 and want to buy a house.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 27, 2026
Many of the victims were too disfigured to be identified, and 69 people had been labelled in Persian as John or Jane Doe, suggesting their identity was unknown when the photo was taken.
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026
During a high-profile trial this spring, the jury heard from two of Combs' ex-girlfriends, Cassie Ventura and a woman who testified as "Jane Doe".
From BBC • Dec. 24, 2025
Until we know her real name, I call her Jane Doe Hawkins.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
What about Dick and Jane Doe, Everyman USA, who can run from agency to agency and office to office put together enough information about me or you to be dangerous.
From Terminal Compromise: computer terrorism: when privacy and freedom are the victims: a novel by Schwartau, Winn
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
