The reason behind why Aussies love calling their sons Jack!

There are a few names out there that we associate strongly with being Australian – Bruce, Sheila and Matilda being a few.

But the name Jack has been in the top 100 names for boys in Australia since 1900. So, why are Aussies soooo obsessed with the popular moniker?

Why Aussies love the name

According to social researcher Mark McCrindle, he believes we fell in love with the name after World War I.

“We have some great historical figures named Jack, as well as many people’s grandfathers who were named Jack, so there’s a definite historical and cultural influence there,” he says.

“We do have a history of bringing names back from the past. Also, Australians tend to go for colloquial, down-to-earth names, and Jack certainly fits the bill.

“They’re more likely to choose the more informal nickname and put it on the birth certificate [rather than the formal version, John].”

Jack vs John

It seems these two names aren’t popular at the same time!

“It’s a funny thing that when Jack is big, John isn’t. Just as Jack was dropping off in the ’30s and into the ’40s, John became very dominant and was in the top 10 throughout the ’50s and ’60s,” continues Mark.

“Then it fell out of favour as Jack rose and it has only just emerged back into the top 100 this year at number 94.

“I think we’re moving into more of an era of formality, and now that Jack’s been around for a while and it’s lost its historical status, we might see John come back up the list just as we recently saw classics such as George re-emerge.

“Jack and John can’t seem to co-exist, so the rise of John might mean the fall of Jack.”

Very interesting!