Meaning of the Name Jack: A Pet Form of John
The voice of Jesus from our film series.
Where the name comes from
Jack began as a medieval English pet form of John, from the Hebrew Yohanan ("Yahweh is gracious"). Some medieval writers mistakenly linked it to Jacques (French for James), but modern research treats Jack as a diminutive of John.
Jack in the Bible
As a form of John, Jack shares that name's biblical bearers: John the Baptist, John the apostle, John the elder. See the Bible page on John for the whole story.
A blessing for Jack
Jack, may your name be short for a long grace: Yahweh is gracious to you. May you know his kindness in the ordinary Tuesdays and be ready to hand it on.