Jacob the Ripper

[Rosella]

Hi PCdunn,
I just think we can tie ourselves in knots here thinking of elaborations on the name Jack and the 'Ripper'. After Kate Eddowes was found she was described as being 'ripped up like a pig'. That was and is a common enough expression and whoever wrote the letters would have noted the abdominal wounds and use of a knife in the murders of Polly and Annie and put two and two together.

[Paddy]

Jack was a name used by the press ie: spring heeled Jack etc.
Pat

[Paddy]

Jacob Isenschmidt was also called Joseph in one record?
Pat....

[RockySullivan]

Is that a British thing?

I think in the U.S., "Jake" is more often a nickname for Jacob than "Jack".

I'm in the US, I know a jack whose name is jacob.

[Pcdunn]

Aren't there lots of speculations as to why Jack was chosen as a 'trade name'?

Hi, Rosella -- I thought the trade name was "Ripper", rather than "Jack", having heard somewhere that upholsters called removing old coverings from furniture "ripping" them.

Also, maybe a "ripper" was a gangster, given the reference to "High-Rip Gangs".

[Pcdunn]

Jack, not Jake?

Jack is a nickname for jacob.

Is that a British thing?

I think in the U.S., "Jake" is more often a nickname for Jacob than "Jack".

[Abby Normal]

Origin[edit]
Jack is thought to harken back to Medieval times as a common derivative of the name John. The nickname has also been seen as Jackie among men (examples of note: Jackie Coogan, Jackie Cooper, and Jackie Gleason, all formally named John). This "Jackie" diminutive of the nickname Jack is thought by some to have hailed from the earlier "Jackin" (born of the appellation Jankin).[3][4] Alternatively, it may be derived from the name Jacques, the French form of the name Jacob.[3] There is also a theory that it is Celtic in origin, meaning "Healthy, Strong, Full of Vital Energy" (compare the Welsh word iach, "health"), from a putative Ancient British Jakkios.[5] Whatever its origin, both the name and the word "jack" were long used as a term to refer to any man, especially of the common classes.[2][6]

Jack of all trades

[tji]

Jack was also the name of one of Jacob Levys's son. As explained earlier by Mayerling, likely he was born Jacob but used Jack.

[Errata]

"Jack" is also used in placed of an unknown name.

"move it, Jack" for instance. Some say "buddy" some say "man" some say "ashole"... some say "Jack".

[Karl]

I know a Jack whose name is Jacob, that's all I meant. Why is Jack a nickname for John? I know this was probably very common 50 years ago...but I think it's less common now? I don't know any John's who go by Jack

Why? Because English speakers are lunatics, that's why. "John" is already short enough, so why should "Jack" be its diminutive? Even has the same number of letters. Same thing with Harry for Henry. And what about Jim for James or Dick for Richard? It's insane!

"Inflammable means flammable? What a country!"

[RockySullivan]

Origin[edit]
Jack is thought to harken back to Medieval times as a common derivative of the name John. The nickname has also been seen as Jackie among men (examples of note: Jackie Coogan, Jackie Cooper, and Jackie Gleason, all formally named John). This "Jackie" diminutive of the nickname Jack is thought by some to have hailed from the earlier "Jackin" (born of the appellation Jankin).[3][4] Alternatively, it may be derived from the name Jacques, the French form of the name Jacob.[3] There is also a theory that it is Celtic in origin, meaning "Healthy, Strong, Full of Vital Energy" (compare the Welsh word iach, "health"), from a putative Ancient British Jakkios.[5] Whatever its origin, both the name and the word "jack" were long used as a term to refer to any man, especially of the common classes.[2][6]

[RockySullivan]

Wouldn't Jake be a more natural nickname for Jacob? Jack is first of all a nickname for John, but good old Wiki says it can also be a nickname for Jonathan, Jackson, James, Jason, Jacob, Joseph, or Jared. Sure, that does include Jacob, but it would be very presumptious to assume that a person called Jack is actually called Jacob. John would be first and foremost, here. If someone wanted people to associate the killer with the Jews, they would not do so through "Jack". Then they might as well have signed the letters, "Jacob the Ripper" or "Jake the Ripper", but even then that might not have been sufficient. Rather, Jack was almost certainly chosen because of its common use as a generalisation. Like the aforementioned "jolly Jack tar", or "Jack of all trades". "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." That's something JtR probably would agree with wholeheartedly, actually.

I know a Jack whose name is Jacob, that's all I meant. Why is Jack a nickname for John? I know this was probably very common 50 years ago...but I think it's less common now? I don't know any John's who go by Jack

[Karl]

Jack is a nickname for jacob.

Wouldn't Jake be a more natural nickname for Jacob? Jack is first of all a nickname for John, but good old Wiki says it can also be a nickname for Jonathan, Jackson, James, Jason, Jacob, Joseph, or Jared. Sure, that does include Jacob, but it would be very presumptious to assume that a person called Jack is actually called Jacob. John would be first and foremost, here. If someone wanted people to associate the killer with the Jews, they would not do so through "Jack". Then they might as well have signed the letters, "Jacob the Ripper" or "Jake the Ripper", but even then that might not have been sufficient. Rather, Jack was almost certainly chosen because of its common use as a generalisation. Like the aforementioned "jolly Jack tar", or "Jack of all trades". "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." That's something JtR probably would agree with wholeheartedly, actually.

[Mayerling]

Legend has it that 'Jack the Ripper' gave himself the famous epithet in the Dear Boss letter. While these days it seems to be generally accepted that the letter was cooked up by the press, I'm open to the possibility that the letter (along with several others) were authentic.

But where did the killer get the inspiration for this trade name? Why the name Jack? Is the answer not staring us in the face? "Jack" is derived from the name "Jacob", the biblical patriarch. There seems to be a number of Jews called Jacob, even today, who assume the nickname "Jack" rather than use their Old Testament first name. The killer obviously wasn't going to use his real name, so he chose a variant thereof that was more common, less semitic and yet allowed him to retain his real identity.

As a Jewish male, whose Hebrew name is "Yitzak Yaacob", my version of the anglicanization of my name is "Jeffrey Ira". Which is anglicanization with a fault because my first name in English should be "Geoffrey" not "Jeffrey", As a result my first name is like Lord Amherst and similar to the notorious Judge of the "Bloody Assizes". It could not be "Jack" because I was named for my father's late father (he had just died before I was born), and he was "Jake" or "Jack". Traditionally, in Jewish homes, if you are being named for an ancestor or recently deceased relative, your Hebrew name is the same, but you alter the anglicized name to be different. That may be due to some type of superstition, but I am not sure.

By the way, I always would have appreciated it if my middle name was "Isaac" not "Ira". It's a matter of euphonics to me about the two names being pronounced ("Isaac" sounds more forceful).

Jeff (not unfortunately "Geoff")

[Mayerling]

Person I remember best changing his name from JACOB is ISRAEL. Was his last name Schwartz or Lipski?

Well, it can't be Lipski, because he had been hanged in November 1887 by Mr. Berry.