Es: For convenience, I’ll be calling you John.
John: Sounds like a dog’s name.
Es: It’s derived from John Doe, the name given to unidentified bodies. Do you like it?
John: Can’t say I’m very fond of the way you’re flaunting your knowledge.
— MILGRAM, "Neoplasm"
The British intelligence head looked down at the card before him. “Mr. Smith,” he read. He looked up. “John Smith, I assume.”
Paul said, still dryly, “Is there any other?”
Paul said, still dryly, “Is there any other?”
— Revolution, by Mack Reynolds
Turning: Who are you? I have no idea who you are...
MI5 agent: I'm sorry, sorry, sorry. My name is Smith, John Smith. Nobody believes it; I have a dreadful time with hotel clerks.
"You need an alias. And it has to be something very, very easy to forget. Something like, you know, John, Joe. Juan Pablo is like a very common name in Ecuador. It has to...it has to disappear into the wash of the hippocampus. Right between lunch and dinner."
— Laszlo Sosa, The Gray Man (2022)
Nurse Sara: I brought you the test results for the woman in 105.
Dr. Crower: Does the woman in 105 have a name?
Nurse Sara: Mrs. Smith.
Dr. Crower: She could have been a little more imaginative.
