John(Jack) Abbot

Photographed by author

Hay in a Haystack

by Jack Abbot

When someone says my name in a crowd, 20 people turn around. Jack has been a top 50 most common name every year since 2000 ("Popular Baby Names”) and that’s not even counting the number of people, like me, who were named John but go by Jack. Us Jacks and Johns have been popular for a long time. In fact, the nickname Jack used to just be the generic way to refer to everyday people, as in, “What’s up, Jack?” (“Jack- The Meaning”). That turned the random Jack into the nickname for John because one fifth of all men were named John in Britain during the Middle Ages (“Jack- The Meaning”). I guess people in the Middle Ages thought it was a good idea to replace a common name with an even more common name, that makes sense. Though I am honored to be named after a term referring to random people on the street, I like to think my name has more meaning than that.

Surely, my mom, who believes in every superstition ever, did not name me based on a background with little meaning. When I asked her about the origin of my name she smiled and paused as if she was entering a flashback. She told me every generation of her family she could remember had a John Jack, it was a very important heritage. At that moment I felt weight on my shoulders to live up to the name, and I loved it. I started asking my mom questions about Grandpa Jack. I wanted to understand the shoes I had to fill. When she started describing Grandpa Jack, to say I was surprised was an understatement.

As a kid my Grandpa Jack was, and I quote, “an ADHD demon”. He would break household objects, interrupt class, pick fights, and other mischievous acts. This all paved the way for him to get accepted into boarding school. It was quite the way to start a life story. As I continued to listen to his life story though, I learned how dynamic of a character my Grandpa Jack was. After college he mellowed down and became very responsible. He met my grandma and worked diligently at his job to move up the ranks and support his family. He tore down and rebuilt a house for my grandma, took his kids sailing on weekends, and was notorious for his Mccdonald counseling when the kids got into trouble.

That is the day the shoes I had to fill doubled in size. The Jack’s in my family are good listeners, and would do anything for the people they care about. Living up to the reputation makes me a better person for my family, friends, and whoever I meet along the way. I am the grandson of an “ADHD demon” and I couldn’t be more lucky.

Works Cited

This is where you put your works cited, in alphabetical order, by whatever the first word is in the entry. If you need more help, see the Purdue MLA guide.

Abbot, John. Selfie of John Abbot. 11 March. 2024. Author's personal collection.

“Jack.” Jack - Baby Name Meaning, Origin and Popularity, www.thebump.com/b/jack-baby-name. Accessed 6 Feb. 2024.

“Jack - the Meaning, Origin and Other Facts about the Name.” HuffPost UK, HuffPost UK, 20 May 2015,

“Popular Baby Names”, SSA, www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2024.

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