Explanations/etymology also appreciated!
For Joe Shmoe, it means a very average or below average person. It’s a derivation of the practice of using “shm-” to dismiss something (eg “Practice shmactice. We’re already perfect”).
And “John Smith” is meant to be the most average name or person imaginable, so they have the “most common” (citation needed) first and last name as well.
In Hungary we have Gipsz Jakab as the most common placeholder name, not sure where it originated from. Gipsz is not at all a common family name, in fact I’ve never heard of anyone with that name. The full name can be translated to James Plaster.
There’s also Kovács István, both parts are (one of) the most common family and given names, and for kids it’s Kovács Pisti, which is like a nickname for István (think William -> Bill).
Other common placeholder names are
Sorry, US person here. Not familiar with Hungary at all. Is it common to do the “last” name first?
Yes, we use the Eastern name order where our family name comes first and our given names second (similarly to Japan, Korea and China).
Thanks for explaining!