Bloggs
Encyclopedia
The names "Joe Bloggs" and "Fred Bloggs" are commonly used as placeholder name
s in United Kingdom
, Irish
, Australia
n and New Zealand
teaching, programming, and other thinking and writing
. The surname
Bloggs on its own is sometimes used in the same way. Fred alone can be a programming placeholder (due to its letters being close together on the standard QWERTY
keyboard). Other placeholders (e.g. in advertisements for store cards/credit cards) sometimes used are Mr/Mrs A Smith or A. N. Other
.
Equivalent American usages to Joe or Fred Bloggs include John Doe
, John Q. Public
, Joe Blow and Joe Schmoe. In Germany Max Mustermann (male)/Erika Mustermann (female) and Otto Normalverbraucher are used.
In 1985, Shami Ahmed
started a clothing company called "The Legendary Joe Bloggs Clothing Company".
Placeholder name
Placeholder names are words that can refer to objects or people whose names are either temporarily forgotten, irrelevant, or unknown in the context in which they are being discussed...
s in United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
teaching, programming, and other thinking and writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
. The surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
Bloggs on its own is sometimes used in the same way. Fred alone can be a programming placeholder (due to its letters being close together on the standard QWERTY
QWERTY
QWERTY is the most common modern-day keyboard layout. The name comes from the first six letters appearing in the topleft letter row of the keyboard, read left to right: Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the Sholes and Glidden typewriter and sold to Remington in the...
keyboard). Other placeholders (e.g. in advertisements for store cards/credit cards) sometimes used are Mr/Mrs A Smith or A. N. Other
A. N. Other
A. N. Other is either a placeholder name or a pseudonym used by a person wishing to remain anonymous, the former being more commonly encountered. It is most used in the United Kingdom, and as such is often written in the common British English style as AN Other without punctuation or spacing...
.
Equivalent American usages to Joe or Fred Bloggs include John Doe
John Doe
The name "John Doe" is used as a placeholder name in a legal action, case or discussion for a male party, whose true identity is unknown or must be withheld for legal reasons. The name is also used to refer to a male corpse or hospital patient whose identity is unknown...
, John Q. Public
John Q. Public
John Q. Public is a generic name in the United States to denote a hypothetical member of society deemed a "common man." He is presumed to represent the randomly selected "man on the street."...
, Joe Blow and Joe Schmoe. In Germany Max Mustermann (male)/Erika Mustermann (female) and Otto Normalverbraucher are used.
In 1985, Shami Ahmed
Shami Ahmed
Eaitisham "Shami" Ahmed is a Pakistani born British founder of the Joe Bloggs clothing brand.Born in Pakistan, his parents emigrated to England in 1964, when he was aged 2. His father Nizam started a profitable retail clothing business Ahmed Hosiery, in Burnley...
started a clothing company called "The Legendary Joe Bloggs Clothing Company".
Example uses
- In The Princeton ReviewThe Princeton ReviewThe Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...
standardized testStandardized testA standardized test is a test that is administered and scored in a consistent, or "standard", manner. Standardized tests are designed in such a way that the questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent and are administered and scored in a...
preparation courses, "Joe Bloggs" represents the average test-taker, and students are trained to identify the "Joe Bloggs answer", or the choice which seems right but may be misleading on harder questions.
- In an episode of the TV series FireflyFirefly (TV series)Firefly is an American space western television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon, under his Mutant Enemy Productions label. Whedon served as executive producer, along with Tim Minear....
"Joey Bloggs" is the name of a man Malcolm ReynoldsMalcolm ReynoldsMalcolm "Mal" Reynolds is a fictional character and main protagonist in the Firefly franchise. Reynolds is played by actor Nathan Fillion in the 2002 TV series Firefly and the 2005 film Serenity. In the series, Reynolds is the captain of the Firefly-class spaceship Serenity...
uses as part of a cover story, only to find out Joey Bloggs is Miss Khouris' best friend and killed himself several months earlier. The show's Anglophile creator Joss WhedonJoss WhedonJoseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
possibly included it as a joke.
See also
- Alice and BobAlice and BobThe names Alice and Bob are commonly used placeholder names for archetypal characters in fields such as cryptography and physics. The names are used for convenience; for example, "Alice sends a message to Bob encrypted with his public key" is easier to follow than "Party A sends a message to Party...
- Average JoeAverage JoeAverage Joe is an American reality television show broadcast on the NBC beginning in 2003. There were a total of four seasons, the first two following the original show premise, and the last two bringing back contestants from prior seasons.-Show Premise:...
- John DoeJohn DoeThe name "John Doe" is used as a placeholder name in a legal action, case or discussion for a male party, whose true identity is unknown or must be withheld for legal reasons. The name is also used to refer to a male corpse or hospital patient whose identity is unknown...
- John Q. PublicJohn Q. PublicJohn Q. Public is a generic name in the United States to denote a hypothetical member of society deemed a "common man." He is presumed to represent the randomly selected "man on the street."...
- Joe ShmoeJoe ShmoeJoe Shmoe is one of the most commonly used fictional names in American English. It is used to identify the typical, everyday person who does not have any special status, frequently in contrast to some group...
- Ola NordmannOla NordmannOla Nordmann is a name for the typical Norwegian person, a personification of the whole population in general.-As a national personification:The media often uses "Ola Nordmann" to describe trends in the population....
- Joe Bloggins
- Tommy AtkinsTommy AtkinsTommy Atkins is a term for a common soldier in the British Army that was already well established in the 19th century, but is particularly associated with World War I. It can be used as a term of reference, or as a form of address. German soldiers would call out to "Tommy" across no man's land if...
- John Smith
- Israel IsraeliIsrael IsraeliIsrael Israeli is a placeholder name used in Israel in much the same manner as John Doe in the United States, Joe Bloggs in the United Kingdom, or Fulanito in Spain....
- SvenssonSvenssonSvensson is the ninth most commonSwedish family name, and literally means "son of Sven", or "Sven's son"...
- Walter PlingeWalter PlingeWalter Plinge is a pseudonym, traditionally used in London theatres when a part has not been cast, an actor is playing two parts, or an actor does not want his or her name in the programme...