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.
In 2018, years before Jane Doe stepped onto campus, then-Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance wrote to Gov. Andrew Cuomo complaining about it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
He later added: "If you happen to know who this Cornell "Jane Doe" is, get in touch and I would be happy to publish her name and identifying information."
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
Jane Doe should never have had to bear the burden of producing reforms.
From Slate ● Oct. 2, 2026
One fourth-year student recalled that it had been hard to live there in 2024, in the aftermath of the incident, as rumours began spreading about Jane Doe.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
“You didn’t look at the Jane Doe paper at all.”
From The Secret of Lonesome Cove by Samuel Hopkins Adams
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.
