Why are the Jacks in the Playing Cards called Jacks?

As early as the mid-1500s the jack was called the knave (meaning a male servant of royalty). The card came to be known as the jack during the middle of the 19th century, when card manufacturers began to label playing cards to indicate their value with 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A. The obvious confusion between "Kn" and "K" led to the renaming of the knave, being out-ranked by the king. However, books of card games published in the third quarter of the 19th century evidently still referred to the "knave"

Why are the Jacks in the Playing Cards called Jacks?
They were originally called Knave but the K was confusing in some circumstances with the King
Reply:I hope the following helps explain it. The Jack of Diamonds : -





YouTube - Lonnie Donegan - Jack O'Diamonds


Lonnie Donegan was the first person to become famous playing skiffle in the United


Kingdom, and went on to have an influential hit in Britain and the USA.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayNiw-c54...





Okay, so it still don't explain, but you gotta admit it's damn good.





Sadly Lonnie died a couple of years ago - still doing it to the last and had a massive following mainly of modern teens, would you believe. Blimey!
Reply:The knave,the Americans classed it as the devil card, as in Jack our knave,was the devil,have you heard the song about the soldier boy,who only had a deck of cards as a bible,,the Songs called Deck of Cards,
Reply:because Jack is CLEARLY the best name in the world.





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