# Richard Roe

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/richard-roe
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Synonym of John Doe.

## Examples

- The legal form asks you to sign as Richard Roe.
- In the hypothetical case study, the lawyer used the name Richard Roe to protect the client's identity.
- The court document listed the unknown defendant as Richard Roe, a standard placeholder for an unidentified party in legal proceedings.

## Origin

A placeholder name for a party in a legal proceeding, derived by analogy from John Doe. The name John Doe was established in legal practice to represent a fictitious plaintiff, leading to the adoption of Richard Roe to represent a second anonymous party or the defendant.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.