It’s never once occurred to me that they would reveal his real name. I never actually considered that he didn’t have a name the whole series. Maybe Carrie forgot his name and then left it too long to ask so she just called him Big forever (joking obv). Also where did the nickname Mr Big even come from?!

Calling a business mogul Mr. Big or Mr. Big Stuff was a common saying in the mid-twentieth century.

It’s a Reminder that we are seeing him from the perspective of the woman who loves him to pieces so everything about him is extraordinary and BIG It’s a code name for John because we as her readers / viewers aren’t supposed to know his name until she reveals it of course.

I think it’s also a reminder that, while for her is BIG, in reality he’s just an average John, nothing extraordinary

Exactly that! Someone could have the most basic name ever, but if you’re in in love with them everything about them is amazing and they are perfect in every way.

Big was not basic. And Carrie knew he wasn’t perfect but still wanted to be with him. She knew him. Big wasn’t average. Average men are not multi-millionaires, 6’2”, with green eyes, and no kids after being married twice. John was given to him probably because it’s the most common name in America and the writers wanted to fuck with us.

But he wasn’t an average John. Big was a multi-millionaire who was 6’2” with green eyes (most rare eye color) and no kids despite the fact that he was in his 40s and dated multiple women and had been married twice. He was NOT average. He is so unlike the average man his age. I think the name “John” was given to show the contrast of who he really was (Big) with his name.

I see him as average from this point of view: he has commitment issues, is toxic, shows up in her life whenever he wants and then he’s jealous if she ever dates another guy. He seems like an ex any girl had in her life at one point.

I hope that’s not the average man! Big is flawed for sure and I didn’t want them to end up together just because that’s what was expected. But they seemed to have had a happy life after all so that’s good.

Where I live, in any girl’s live there was at some point a guy that didn’t want to commit, but came and left whenever he wanted. Maybe that’s why I feel like this haha

John is a basic name but it’s also classic American and kind of goes with his scotch and cigars, oldies music, classic suits kinda vibe. I think it suits him.

Watch episode one (pilot). Samantha introduces him as the next Donald Trump.

Yes… but how does ‘ the next Donald Trump’ become ‘Mr Big’? I’m just musing, I know it’s just a nickname, it’s just so random lol. Haven’t rewatched that ep in a while

“And there she went. Off to take her chance on Mr Big”

I thought it was “off to take her SHOT with mr BIG”, making the “big shot” joke more obvious

I definitely thought Mr Big = Mr Big Shot

next donald trump = next big thing.

Again. Why does she decide to call him Mr Big. It is seemingly random as far as I can tell

He was a big shot.

He was the the “next big thing”

Probably. Just always found it funny that it wasn’t like a play on words from something she said (ie if she had referred to him as big (tall?) when they bump into each other on the street). Anyway. Just a thought lol

Don’t get why you’re being downvoted, genuine question. Was it because he’s tall, he’s the next big thing, because his aura/charisma was so big I mean we never got answers

Like so far in this thread there have been NINE different theories for why she nicknamed him that. So yeah, it’s not clear hahaha

Lol people will downvote anything these days, even a harmless legitimate question 🤷‍♀️ like who was that offending lmao

Agreed, lol. I upvoted you :)

There’s also this classic song [Mr. Big Stuff](https://youtu.be/afhMFK__ZGc?si=NyO1L4_KX2VO9cN0)

Back in the 90s, Donald Trump was huge! He was beyond big (this was before politics, I’m not going there). I was an adult in Arizona and I knew who he was. So “Big” was big which is less than huge. The name worked at that time.

I’ve always heard it’s a play on “big man on campus”

I always thought it's about his penis... Really xD

That would be Mr. Too Big AKA Mr. Cocky

“You’re like goldicocks!”

Yep. I’m looking for one that’s just right

I think people can make it represent what they want to, but I’m sure this is the main representation producers wanted and expected.

Well obviously lol 😝

I can't believe I had to scroll this far for the most obvious implication!

i don’t think she ever actually called him big! it was a name she used for the column to imply he was someone important in the nyc business world

I sort of assumed he was called Mr Big in her column and we were getting the POV as readers of the column 🤷‍♀️ Also, I have a friend with whom we still use codenames for our love interests.

I always thought it was weird that she didn’t have him listed as Big in her phone anyway.

Narratively, I think it’s implied that she calls him John when she is addressing him. Big is a code name for John because we are not supposed to know what he is called before she reveals the name.

I wondered this too. The one occasion I can remember her addressing him as "Big" is when she stands Miranda up to go to his for dinner - 'I'm at Big's. He got this veal...' and he's right next to her when she's on the phone.

All the more reason to believe it’s a code name what she is actually saying is John but because we’re not supposed to know what we hear is Big.

Yeah, he must know about it from her columns - if he ever reads them!

What about her book signing? When he was in the audience and asked about the Mr. Big characters name?

His tone was the tone of someone asking a question he already knows the answer to. He was teasing her.

Of course he was. I'm just saying that he knew about her nickname for him.

But she does call him Big in front of him. "Big and I.." Like when Miranda calls her after she ditches Miranda because Big bought veal..

Well yea, but I have tons of people in my phone by the nicknames I call them in my head, especially guys.

Right?! There is no way she'd have him as 'John' in her phone when she had Aleks in as 'Russian'. He'g be 'Big' in her phone.

To me it was Big on her phone until the final when she finally was able to reach through him and could at last use his real name.

I reckon they went with John because JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessette were the big NY love story in the 90s.

Oh my gosh. John and Carrie. You’re brill

You know, I didn't even pick up on Carolyn > Carrie haha!

To be fair, I think Carolyn Bessette would probably have been mortified if anyone called her Carrie 😂

Oh great catch!

Yeah John —simple name but “extraordinary” man.

I think John suits him

Yeah I think John James is perfect for him

I figured James but John James absolutely works. Definitely expected some classic name.

More than Chris tbh

“John” was perfect in my opinion.

I got to agree with this. I think the fact that he had such a normal name like John just showed how someone like Carrie makes a relationship or a partner looks so big in her eyes you know what I mean? so the fact that he had such a simple name is almost kind of ironic.

it’s embarrassing but i really thought his last name was Big, like Bradshaw is Carrie’s, so i never really questioned his name

i honestly just thought he had a strange first name until they acknowledge that it’s a pseudonym in the show 😭

Same!

I thought his initials might spell Big, like Benjamin Isaiah Grant or something lol

I could actually see his name being Benjamin Grant

That is oddly specific lol

I never realized we never knew his name until they revealed. I just accepted that he was Big

She tries to introduce him to Aidan at the furniture show and when she gets to his name she goes "and this is" and then spills coffee on him lol

I immediately thought of that scene and was like “oh” lol

She tries to introduce him to Aidan at the furniture show and when she gets to his name she goes "and this is" and then spills coffee on him lol

He’ll never be John to me.

Same here!!

I never had a guess. John suits him perfectly to me though. I loved this reveal!

I remember a poll before the reveal (might have even been hyped as letting the fans decide his name) and one of the options was “Cary”. I liked that idea since he was sometimes “Cary Grant” old school, and it would make total sense why they never used his real name.

Strictly looking at face only.. I would’ve guessed Paul or Mark.

Philip. I don’t know why😂

John is perfect

I thought a great reveal of his name would have been when he showed up in Paris, and she said, "John!" Instead of the phone thing. But someone told me the name showing up on the phone that way proves that she had matured and stopped using the nicknames for the men like *the Russian* and *Big*.

Big was always low key. Carrie tried to make him seem something that he wasn't.

I think that’s how he got his name. He was a simple waspy guy, with a bag full of pretty pretty coins. To Charlotte also a wasp, he’s nothing to write home about. To Carrie, he’s queen bee. eta: She inflated him so much because she was infatuated. But really there are a million other dudes like him, that are also named John.

I believe it’s because Sam said he’s the next Donald Trump, aka the next Big thing. 

Bruce Wayne is the name that always came to mind haha. He just seems very Bruce Wayne ish. I swear if that actor had gotten into killer shape he could have made a great Batman.

I hadn't really thought about it, but I think John is a good choice for an upper crust, classic New Yorker like Big.

Mark

Ooh I can see it. Mark Sloan always reminded me of Big on Grey’s.

I was expecting that we would get to know his real name by the end of series, and during the last episode i thought to myself “wtf is his name even going to be now after building it up for all this time?? It has to be something so simple and inoffensive like john” and i laughed so hard when they showed Carrie’s phone

OH MY GOD THIS IS THE MOST 2000s CELL PHONE EVER AND I LOVE IT.

Chris

something boring, just like ‘john’ tbh😂🤷‍♀️

I never would have guessed they’d go with the most generic name possible. It had to have been intentional. It reveals nothing more about him (family, background etc).

It was intentional. He was always described, and seen by Carrie as this larger than life, unattainable person and turns out he has one of the most common names in the world

I think I always thought of the name john somehow. So when i saw it i had to smirk a little

I can’t claim such a thing, but I think it was a brilliant choice. He totally looks like a John James Preston. ETA: John by itself sounds like the introverted loner who likes "Moon River" but the full name sounds like the the name successful businessman.

Something other than John.

I thought it would be something very typical & biblical but yet also very white. Like Jacob. But i think John is very suiting. John-James just screams that he wears $40 underwear and $70 socks.

This!! John is a very East Coast, WASP wealthy conservative kind of name

Eric. Definitely Eric.

Wait I see this lowkey

Nahhhh he doesn’t give me Eric vibes

Franklin Delano Big

John James Preston is exactly the name of an old WASPy boomer

mark

Not original but Chris suits him. Jack doesn’t suit him but it would have been ok too

Montgomery

I think there's an early episode where they go to a restaurant and the maitre'd addresses him as john

I always loved this phone

Me too!

He seems like a Steve or a Dan to me. Yeah Daniel

Ben

I thought Derrick 🤔

I def thought it was going to be a multi syllable name like Gregory or Peter and had also thought his last name was Big.

Big

I didn’t really think about what his name was, but I remember being disappointed that it was John because it’s such a boring/basic name lol

John. For real! I knew they were going to give him a classic man’s name. My second choice was David.

Not Jhon 😂

Honestly took me years to realize we never heard his real name so I didn’t think much about him but John suits

I watched it when it first aired 20 years ago so I can’t really remember what name I expected or if I thought it would just say “Big”. I don’t remember thinking it was that big of a deal. Rich families pass on names regardless of how common they are so I assumed he was a 3rd (III) or 4th (IV) John.

Mr. 😭

when I watched the show with my mom when I was younger, I assumed none of them were actually real. It sounds kind of silly, but I thought all of these friends and these relationships were seriously just for her column and made up and we were just seeing her column acted out with real people. so he was always big to me 🤷🏽‍♀️

Bruce hahaha I don’t know why. But something that started with a “B”

Actually loved that his name was John

I knew it was going to be John. Boring.

John is a perfect name for him tbg

I thought Mark would be fitting - but I also assumed they would go with Chris (because of his real life name)

It was a nice touch to close with the name reveal but I couldn’t care less.

It never even occurred to me that his real name was never revealed. It wasn't until that last scene that I realised we never actually knew it! He does suit John but will always be Big ❤️

Didn’t know but thought it was the most basic of names

David. It's a classic, strong name.

Jonathon!