Jack
"Jack", among its many meanings, referred to a small flag flown from the mast mounted at the end of a ship's bowsprit, and may refer in this case to the fact that by 1627 a small version of the British flag seems to have flown commonly in this position; by 1674, this flag was described formally as His Majestys Jack and in common usage officially acknowledged as the Union Jack. It was still named the "Union Flag" on land, but the distinction relaxed; in 1908 the UK Parliament approved the use of either Union Flag or Union Jack, stating that the Union Jack should be regarded as the National flag.
