Why John Smith?

My sister asked me, why every email client has the name John Smith as example. Interesting indeed. I dunno, I said and said. Let's post the question at usenet

In any Email Client, the example name is used as "John Smith". Who is this John Smith, and why are all the clients using this same name for example setups.

It leaves a better impression than "John Doe".

The Brit who established the first permanent British colony in North America. (1607, Jamestown, Virginia). An explorer, writer, soldier.

It is simply used in America as a generic male name, like John Doe, who was the first man in America to be trampled to death by a female deer. Smith means common, and Doe means anonymous, to get technical.

(John Doe was so messed up they couldn't identify him)

(see below)

(just kidding about the deer thing :-)

I have always assumed that it was because Smith was the most common "English" surname and John was the most common given name. Consequently, the example was "real" but could not be associated with an individual.

The Brit who established the first permanent British colony in North America. (1607, Jamestown, Virginia). An explorer, writer, soldier - John Smith (explorer) John Smith (c. 1579 – 21 June 1631) was an English soldier, explorer, colonial governor, admiral of New England, and author. Following his return to England from a life as a soldier of fortune and as a slave, he played an important role in the establishment of the colony at Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America, in the early 17th century. He was a leader of the Virginia Colony between September 1608 and August 1609, and he led an exploration along the rivers of Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay, during which he became the first English explorer to map the Chesapeake Bay area. Later, he explored and mapped the coast of New England. He was knighted for his services to Sigismund Báthory, Prince of Transylvania, and his friend Mózes Székely. .