1. Also,
John Q. Public;
Joe Blow;
Joe Doakes;
Joe Zilch. An average undistinguished man; also, the average citizen. For example,
This television show is just right for a John Doe, or
It's up to John Q. Public to go to the polls and vote. Originally used from the 13th century on legal documents as an alias to protect a witness,
John Doe acquired the sense of "ordinary person" in the 1800s. The variants date from the 1900s. Also see
Joe six-pack.