I’ve noticed most nursery rhymes the male character is "jack", aka jack be nimble jack be quick, little jack horner, sailing sailing over the bounding main, when many a storm has tossed & blown & jack comes home again, jack & jill, jack & the beanstalk, jack sprat…point in question…why did they all turn out to be ‘jack’? Where & why did this commonicity start? Is it some sort of theme? thanks if u can help.
More Information:
The name Jack comes to the English language in about 1350 from the word ‘jakke’ which was used in addressing any male usually an inferior (not inferior as in dull witted but as in younger). By 1400 it was extended to anything male and as a designation for a variety of inanimate objects.
Since the rhymes were for children and meant to aid in vocabulary and rudimentary counting skills such as "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe"
it was necessary to keep them simple as possible.
Many cultures feature children’s songs and verses that are passed down by oral tradition from one generation to the next (either from parent to child, or from older children to younger children). In the English language, the term "nursery rhyme" generally refers to those of European origin, and the best known examples are English and originated in or since the 17th century. Their origins were possibly a form of oral political cartoon, from an era when free speech could get the speaker imprisoned. Therefore it is better to refer to the subject as "Jack" than the real name.
I believe they are all written by the same story teller