Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

>They also used a sock puppet with a seemingly German name (Hans Jansen). However "Hans" has not been a popular baby name in German speaking countries for many decades. You'd expect any "Hans" to be over 70 or 80 by now. Unless they are American, like Hans Niemann.

Jansen is a Danish/Norwegian surname and Hans is still fairly popular in Denmark.

https://www.dst.dk/en/Statistik/emner/borgere/navne/navne-i-...



Interesting. Jansen is pretty common in Germany aswell. How old would a typical Danish Hans be? From what I can see in [1], Hans hasn't been a popular baby name for decades in Denmark either.

Edit: Another country that seems to have retained popularity for "Hans" for a longer time than Germany is the Netherlands. According to [2], its popularity seems to have gone down significantly as well, with a further sharp dropoff in the 90s.

There are plenty of other names to choose from if you want to create a fake personality. It's curious they chose one that sticks out among the age cohorts you would expect participating on Github.

[1] https://www.dst.dk/en/Statistik/emner/borgere/navne/navne-ti...

[2] https://www.babynamen.nl/naam/hans/


> Interesting.

Ironic.

> > This could be a cultural oversight on the attacker's side,




Consider applying for YC's Fall 2026 batch! Applications are open till July 27.

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: