The first use of the term “Jolly Roger” in print appears in 1724 in Charles Johnson’s The General History of Pyrates (now attributed to Daniel Dafoe). Some scholars believe the term is an Anglicization of the French “joli rouge” name for the terrible red flag. Others think the term “Roger” or “Old Roger”—a common 18th-century nickname for the devil—and the grinning skull inspired the name. Regardless of its origins, pirates raised their versions of the Jolly Roger long before the name entered popular use.