''Nomen nescio'' (), abbreviated to ''N.N.'', is used to signify an
anonymous or unnamed person. From
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''nomen'' – "name", and ''nescio'' – "I do not know", it literally means "I do not know the name". The generic name
Numerius Negidius ''Numerius Negidius'' is a name used in Roman jurisprudence, based on a play on words: '' Numerius'' is a Roman praenomen, or forename, resembling the verb ''numero'', "I pay"; while ''Negidius'' has the form of a gentile name formed from the ver ...
used in
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
times was chosen partly because it shared initials with this phrase.
Usage
One use for this name is to protect against retaliation when reporting a
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...
or company
fraud. In the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, a police suspect who refuses to give his name is given an "N.N. number." In
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, ''N.N.'' is also frequently seen in
university
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
course lists, indicating that a course will take place but that the lecturer is not yet known; the abbreviation in this case means ''nomen nominandum'' – "the name is to be announced". Thus, the meaning is different from the above definition and is the same as
TBD
To be announced (TBA), to be confirmed (TBC), to be determined or decided or declared (TBD), and other variations, are placeholder terms used very broadly in event planning to indicate that although something is scheduled or expected to happen, a ...
(to be decided).
''N. N.'' is commonly used in the scoring of
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...
games,
not only when one participant's name is genuinely unknown but when an untitled player faces a master, as in a
simultaneous exhibition
A simultaneous exhibition or simultaneous display is a board game exhibition (commonly chess or Go) in which one player (typically of high rank, such as a grandmaster or dan-level player) plays multiple games at a time with a number of other pl ...
. Another reason is to protect a known player from the insult of a painful defeat.
Genealogists
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...
often use the abbreviation to signify an unknown or partially unknown name (such as ''N.N.'' Jones).
It has increased in usage in online gaming as an insult to mean that someone is unknown within the community.
See also
*
Placeholder name
Placeholder names are words that can refer to things or people whose names do not exist, are temporarily forgotten, are not relevant to the salient point at hand, are to avoid stigmatization, are unknowable/unpredictable in the context in wh ...
*
List of placeholder names by language
*
A. N. Other
*
John Doe
John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are often ...
*
Hudjefa Hudjefa is an ancient Egyptian word meaning "missing" or "erased". It was used by the royal scribes of the Ramesside era during the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt, when the scribes compiled king lists such as the Abydos King List, the royal table o ...
References
Roman law
Anonymity pseudonyms
Latin words and phrases
Genealogy
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