Is "Doe" an acronym for :Deceased On Examination".. John\Jane Doe etc...?

Question

I Vaguley recall hearing this is an acronym, and im not sure if im on the right track!, what is the signifigance of doe?, where did it come from, and why is it used still?...

Answer 1

I'm not so sure about it being an acronym.  Just because someone has been temporarily designated as a "John Doe" or "Jane Doe" doesn't mean that they are dead.

I did a quick search on Wikipedia, and here's what I found:

"The name "John Doe" is used as a placeholder name for a male party, in a legal action, case or discussion, whose true identity is either unknown or must be withheld for legal reasons."

"The name was used at least as far back as 1659, in England – "To prosecute the suit, to witt John Doe And Richard Roe” – and perhaps as early as the reign of England's King Edward III."

Answer 2

It might be used as that particular acronym, and that's probably where John/Jane Doe came from.  Unidentified people who were dead when the examiners found them.

However, John/Jane Doe now usually means any old person.  It's a stock name for when you want to have a name for a generic nameless person.

Answer 3

No. It is not an acronym. It does not stand for anything else. It is just a name used to denote an unknown person or persons. "John Doe" or "Jane Doe" merely denotes an unknown person who has not yet been identified. It originated so long ago that it is hard to trace its first origin. The common names like Smith or Jones  or Brown might be misunderstood as identifying the person with the millions of persons who have those surnames. Doe is a short name that is "neutral". There are probably a lot of people with that last name; but a lot fewer than other names.  

Answer 4

No, hospitals use John and Jane Doe for patients that aren't identified. Like someone who would come in without identification and was unable to give their name. Maybe you're thinking of DOA which means dead on arrival.