// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did "Placeholder name" say? "I'm filling in.
Placeholder names are names used as placeholder words, i.e., referring to things, places, or people, the names of which or of whom do not actually exist; are temporarily forgotten, or are unimportant; or in order to avoid stigmatization, or because they are unknowable or unpredictable given the context of their discussion; or to deliberately expunge direct use of the name.[1][2][3] Placeholder names for people are often terms referring to an average person or a predicted persona of a typical user or for an individual whose name is unknown.[2][4][5]
Placeholder names serve as a "common language" that provide flexibility and clarity when talking or writing about concepts.[3] Some morphologists "will distinguish between placeholders such as thingummy and placeholder names like John Doe".[6] In computer programming and printing, placeholder names allow a creator to test or visualize the end product.[3] Placeholder names are used in writing, publishing, and typesetting where there are gaps in the text, document, or data set for an unknown name.[7]
Issues
[edit]The correct name is usually added once the information is known.[7] However, use of placeholder names has caused problems in circumstances where the placeholder is not thereafter substituted for a real name when it becomes available. For example, in 2009, the United States Army was forced to issue an apology when letters addressed to "John Doe" were sent to thousands of families of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.[8] A 2015 report noted that hospitals using a standard "Babyboy" or "Babygirl" placeholder for the first names of unidentified newborns has led to mix-ups in identification and medication of the infants.[9]
Examples
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Körtvélyessy, Lívia; Štekauer, Pavol (October 8, 2020). Complex Words: Advances in Morphology. Cambridge University Press. pp. 362–379. ISBN 978-1-108-49029-0 – via Google Books.
- 1 2 Nichol, Mark (March 16, 2012). "Placeholder Names". Daily Writing Tips. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- 1 2 3 Simran, Sumaiya (August 19, 2024). "What Are Standard Placeholder Names?". Lipsum Hub. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ↑ Duncan, J; Eilbeck, K; Narus, SP; Clyde, S; Thornton, S; Staes, C (2015). "Building an Ontology for Identity Resolution in Healthcare and Public Health". Online J Public Health Inform. 7 (2): e219. doi:10.5210/ojphi.v7i2.6010. PMC 4576444. PMID 26392849.
- ↑ Faustov, Andrey A. (October 2014). "Self-identification of the lyrical subject in Russian poetry (a draft typology)" (PDF). Enthymema: 42. eISSN 2037-2426. ISSN 2037-2426.
- ↑ Petra M. Vogel, "Dingsbums and Thingy: Placeholders for Names in German and Other Languages", in Complex Words: Advances in Morphology, Lívia Körtvélyessy and Pavol Štekauer, eds. (Cambridge University Press; 2020), p. 364.
- 1 2 Simran, Sumaiya (August 19, 2024). "What Are Standard Placeholder Names?". Lipsum Hub. Retrieved August 9, 2025.
- ↑ Jelinek, Pauline (January 8, 2009). "'John Doe' letter stirs apology from Army". Oakland Tribune. p. 8 – via newspapers.com.
- ↑ Cha, Eunjung (July 20, 2015). "Temporary baby names are blamed for many hospital mixups". Press of Atlantic City. pp. C2 – via newspapers.com.
- Espy, W., An Almanac of Words at Play (Clarkson Potter, 1979) ISBN 0-517-52090-7
- Flexner, S. B. and Wentworth, H., A Dictionary of American Slang; (Macmillan, 1960) ASIN B000LV7HQS OCLC 875372335
- Watson, Ian, "Meet John Doe: stand-ins", section 3.7 in IanWatson.org[permanent dead link], Cognitive Design, (Ph.D. dissertation, Rutgers University, 2005).