English Reference
Idiom idiom

Jane Roe


The female equivalent of Richard Roe.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

The legal form uses the name Jane Roe for the unknown woman.

CONTEXTUAL

In the court document, the unidentified female plaintiff is referred to as Jane Roe to protect her privacy.

COMPLEX

When the identity of a female defendant remains unknown during legal proceedings, the court assigns her the placeholder name Jane Roe.


Related idioms4entries
  1. 01

    Jane Average

    A hypothetical female average or female generic individual; the common woman.

  2. 02

    Jane Doe

    An unknown or anonymous female; the female equivalent of John Doe.

  3. 03

    Jane Hancock

    A woman's signature.

  4. 04

    Richard Roe

    Synonym of John Doe.

Last updated August 10, 2026