Jocky

Jocky or Jockey was a Scottish diminutive of Jock, itself a Scottish variant of John (Latin Joannes, Hebrew Yohanan — God is gracious). In 16th-century Scotland, Jocky was a generic name for any young man or lad, the way Jack was used generically in English. The name was common enough that it became a type-name: a Jocky was an ordinary fellow, a common man.

Horse dealers and riders in Scotland were commonly called Jockeys in the 17th century — perhaps because the trade was associated with a certain type of rough, enterprising young man. The word appears in records as a term for horse-dealers by the 1660s. The specific meaning of professional horse-racing rider followed from the general association with horses and horsemanship.

Professional horse racing developed in England in the 17th and 18th centuries under royal patronage — Charles II was an enthusiastic patron of Newmarket. The Jockey Club was founded around 1750 to regulate English horse racing; it published the General Stud Book from 1791 and became the governing body of English thoroughbred racing. The jockey — the professional rider — became a licensed, regulated professional.

Jockey has expanded into several metaphorical uses: to jockey for position means to maneuver for advantage, like riders jostling for the best position on the track. A jockey of words, a media jockey, a disc jockey: the professional rider's name has attached to anyone who handles something — words, records, a vehicle — with practiced skill and maneuver.