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{{Wiktionary|nomen nescio}}
'''''Nomen nescio''''' (/ˈnoː.men ˈnes.ki.oː/), abbreviated to '''''N.N.''''', is used to signify an [[Anonymity|anonymous]] or unnamed person. From Latin '''nomen''', ''name'', and '''nescio''', ''I do not know'' (from '''nescire''', ''not to know''), it literally means, ''I do not know the name''.<ref>{{citation | last1=Thode | first1=Ernest | year=1992 | title=German-English Genealogical Dictionary | publisher=Genealogical Publishing Com | isbn=978-0-8063-1342-9 | page=179}}</ref>

==Uses and alternatives==
:'''''On Familypedia person-pages, the preferred option for an unknown given name or surname is "Unknown".''''' Contributors are not encouraged to create separate pages for such people unless they are important in linking others such as siblings. Never include a question-mark in an individual's page name.

One use for this name is to protect against retaliation when reporting a [[crime]] or company [[fraud]]. In the [[Netherlands]] a police suspect that refuses to give his name is given an "N.N. number." In [[Germany]], and [[Belgium]], ''N.N.'' is also frequently seen in [[university]] course lists, indicating that a course will take place but that the lecturer is not yet known; the abbreviation means "nomen nominandum" ("the name is to be announced") in this case.

"N. N." is commonly used in the scoring of [[chess]] games,<ref>{{citation | last1=Hooper | first1=David | author1-link=David Vincent Hooper | last2=Whyld | first2=Kenneth | author2-link=Kenneth Whyld | year=1992 | title=[[The Oxford Companion to Chess]] | edition=2nd | publisher=Oxford University Press | isbn=0-19-280049-3 | page=274}}</ref> not only when one participant's name is genuinely unknown but when an untitled player faces a master, as in a [[simultaneous exhibition]]. Another reason is to protect a known player from the insult of a painful defeat.

The generic name [[Numerius Negidius]] used in [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] times was chosen partly because it shared initials with this phrase.

[[Genealogy|Genealogists]] often use the abbreviation to signify an unknown or partially unknown name (such as ''N.N.'' Jones).

In sport a player whose name is not known at the time of publishing a list may more usually be reported as "[[A. N. Other]]"

== See also ==
* [[John Doe]]
* [[Mister X]]
* [[To be announced]]

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{Italic title}}
[[Category:Roman law]]
[[Category:Anonymity pseudonyms]]
[[Category:Latin words and phrases]]
[[Category:Genealogy]]

{{usedwp|Nomen nescio}}