 The first name of Captain Archer was initially to have been Jeffrey.  While the (American) producers of the show didnt see any problems  with this name, UK fans pointed out the link to disgraced author,  actor and politician Jeffrey Archer (qv) after learning of the  name over the Internet. The name was changed to Jackson, but there  was exactly one person in the country named Jackson Archer. To avoid  lawsuits, Jonathan was chosen for a name because there were 20  Jonathan Archers.