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The following is a list of terms referring to an average person. Many are used as placeholder names.
Ungrouped
By culture
Summarize
Perspective
Arabic
Fulān (male: فلان), Fulāna (female: فلانة),[2] also (male with family name: Fulān al-Fulani)[3]
Argentina
- María Victoria Villareal[4] is used in the National Identity Cards (DNI) specimens, born in 60's. However, she was replaced with others.
- Virgilio Portillo is a non-citizen, generally appear as Paraguayan nationality.
- Manuela Martínez or Fernández (Depending on DNI version), is a girl that has "MANU", in her signature.[5]
- Juan Pérez is used colloquially as a generic male full name.
- Fulano, Mengano, Zutano, three fake names, were used in the past as 'some guy,' as in "On his way to work he ran into Fulano [some guy] and they spoke for a while."
Australia
- Man on the Bondi tram (in legal context in New South Wales only)
Austria
Belgium (Dutch)
- Jan met de pet ("John with the cap")
Colombia
- Pepito or Pepita Pérez (lit. "Little Joe Pérez" or "Little Josephine Pérez"), used due to its alliterative sound.[citation needed]
Czechia
- Jan Novák ("John/Jon Newman"), Jana Nováková ("Jane Newman"); the most common Czech name and surname[citation needed]
- Otakar Všudybyl ("Ottokar Waseverywhere")[8] and Jana Zcestovalá ("Jane Welltraveled"),[9] used on travelcards or ID cards samples
- BFU (Běžný Franta Uživatel, "Basic User Frank"), meaning "brain free user"[10]
Denmark
- Hr. og Fru Danmark (Mr. and Mrs. Denmark)[11]
- Hr. og Fru Hakkebøf (Mr. and Mrs. Beef Patty)[12]
Estonia
Finland
- Matti Meikäläinen (male) Maija Meikäläinen (female).[16]
France
- Usable as a common word: Pierre-Paul-Jacques (with the meaning of "Someone");[17]
- Random people (similar to Average John/Jane): Monsieur/Madame Tout-le-monde[citation needed] (Mr/Mrs Everyone), Untel/Unetelle (Mr/Mrs NoName; literally, “a such” and thus similar to the English “so-and-so”),[18] Madame Michu (only female),[19] (M./Mme) Tartempion (familiar and a little satirical);[20]
- Other:
- (M./Mme) Machin/Machine (familiar terms, used when one does not wish take the trouble to think of a more specific term);[21]
- (Un) Gazier originally, a man who worked in gas transport; nowadays, it is a familiar way to say "Someone" (mostly for a man; this term is rare for women, and in such case, the correct word is the feminine form "Gazière").[22]
- (Un) Quidam: someone whose identity is unknown or cannot be disclosed.[23]
See also fr:wikt:Tartempion#Synonymes
Germany
- Max Mustermann (Max Sample Man, for men), Erika Mustermann (Erika Sample Man, for women), since 1978. More recently, other first names have also been used in specific context, such as Leon Mustermann (sample children's passport),[24] Cleopâtre Mustermann (sample travel document for foreigners),[25] or Manu Musterperson (Manu Sample Person, as a gender-neutral form).[26]
- de:Otto Normalverbraucher for economics related purposes
Greater China
- 小明 (pinyin: Xiǎomíng, Jyutping: siu2 ming4, Wugniu: 3siau-min2), a common generic name used in educational or comedic situations.[27]
- 某某 (pinyin: Mǒumǒu, Jyutping: mau5 mau5, Wugniu: 4meu-meu4), 某甲 (pinyin: Mǒujiǎ, Jyutping: mau5 gaap3, Wugniu: 4meu-ciaq7), 某乙 (pinyin: Mǒuyǐ, Jyutping: mau5 jyut3, Wugniu: 4meu-iq7), etc., equivalent to "Person A, Person B, etc."; 某 meaning "a certain". Heavenly stems are often used to number the unspecified people.
Mainland China
Hong Kong
Taiwan
India (and Pakistan)
Ireland
- Tadhg an mhargaidh[32] ("Tadhg of the market")
Italy
- Mario Rossi,[33] a very common name
- Pinco Pallino,[34] a made up name
- Tal dei Tali,[35] a made up name with the meaning of “so-and-so of all the so-and-sos”, i.e., a particular so-and-so)
- Signor Nessuno[36] ("Mr. Nobody")
- "Tizio,[37] Caio[38] e Sempronio[39]" equivalent to "Tom, Dick and Harry". Originated from Tiberius, Gaius and Sempronius Gracchus.
Japan
- Tarō Yamada (male)
- Hanako Yamada (female)
Malaysia
- Cik Kiah (Ms. Kiah), a derivative of the name Makcik Kiah (auntie Kiah), a name made up by PM Tan Sri Muhyiddin to illustrate an average Malaysian: a Pisang goreng seller earning the median rural income.[40][41][42]
México
Fulano,[43] mengano,[44] zutano[45] y perengano,[46] are words that are used to refer to someone when their name is not known or is not wanted to be said.
Netherlands
- Jan Modaal ("John Modal"), used to refer to those with a median income
- Henk en Ingrid, used by politician Geert Wilders
- Jan met de pet ("John with the cap")
Nigeria
- Lagbaja, literally ‘someone’ in the Yoruba language.
Norway
- Ola Nordmann (male), Kari Nordmann (female), common Norwegian first names and a surname that literally translates to "Norwegian"
Persian-speaking countries (e.g. Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan)
Philippines
- Juan dela Cruz (male), María dela Cruz or Juana dela Cruz (female)
Poland
- Jan Kowalski (male), Anna Kowalska (female), the second most common Polish surname.
- For a broader representation of average Poles "Kowalski" may be grouped with some other common surnames, such as Nowak (the most common Polish surname), Malinowski, or Wiśniewski: "Imagine our neighbors, the Kowalskis or Nowaks, who earn PLN 100 less per month than we do".[49]
- Iksiński a surname formed in accordance with the rules of creating Polish surnames with the common suffix -ski/-ska, but the basis for its creation was the letter X (pronounced "iks" in Polish), which is used to denote unknowns (e.g. in mathematical operations). It is used especially in situations where one wants to emphasise that the person one is talking about is not anyone in particular or that the identity of that person cannot be given.[50][51] When talking about another such person in a single utterance, one can use the surname Igrekowski,[52] which is derived from the letter Y (pronounced in Polish as "igrek"). Both surnames also have female forms, Iksińska and Igrekowska respectively. No living Polish citizen bears these surnames (as of 2024).[53][54][55][56]
Portugal/Brazil
Romania
- Cutărescu, general term used in order to avoid a specific surname; a no-name[58]
Russia
Common placeholder first names in Russia are Ivan and Pyotr, due to their ubiquity. Their placeholder function may be seen in old Russian textbooks: in arithmetical problems or sentences to illustrate grammar.[59]
The name "Vasya Pupkin" (Russian: Вася Пупкин) may be used to denote an average random or unknown person in the colloquial speech.[60][61]
For a group of average persons or to stress the randomness of a selection, a triple common Russian surnames are used together in the same context: "Ivanov, Petrov, or Sidorov". This is a relatively new phenomenon that was unknown in the early 20th century. Ivanov, being derived from the most common first name, is a placeholder for an arbitrary person. In its plural form, "Ivanovs", it may be used as a placeholder for a group of people.[59] There is a military joke: The sergeant asks the rookies: "Your surnames!" - "Ivanov!", "Petrov!", "Sidorov!" - "Are you brothers?" - "No, we are namesakes, sir!"[62]
Serbia
Petar Petrović is the most often used name in examples of how to fill out documents, payment slips etc, alongside the street name Petra Petrovića and the town of Petrovac.[63][64] Other names: Jovan Jovanović, Marko Marković, Lazar Lazarević, Ivan Ivanović.[63]
Spain
Sweden
- Svensson (a common surname) or Medelsvensson (literally "middle/average Svensson")[65][66]
Thailand
United Kingdom
- Fred Bloggs or Joe Bloggs
- Joe Public or Jane Public
- John Smith
- Joe Soap
- Man on the Clapham omnibus
- Mrs Miggins[68]
- Tom, Dick and Harry
- Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells or Outraged of Tunbridge Wells[69]
Scotland
United States and Canada
- John Smith
- John Doe and Jane Doe
- John Q. Public
- Joe the Plumber[70]
- Tom, Dick and Harry
- Average Joe
- Joe Sixpack
- Joe Shmoe/Joe Blow
- Private Snuffy or Joe Snuffy (used in the US Army)[71]
Yiddish
- Chaim Yankel[72]
See also
References
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