# Are the muppets the reason names like Kermit and Grover have become archaic? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 12, 2026, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219 "2026-04-12T15:40:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/101 "2026-04-14T22:48:40Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > I graduated in 1977 there were lots of Garys in my class and school. Which makes perfect sense: if you graduated from high school in 1977, then you and your classmates were born in 1959 (give or take a year). As per the link, Gary was still in the top 20 for baby boy names in 1958 and 1959, sliding a bit to #22 in 1960. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/102 "2026-04-14T22:55:10Z")
If I ever get a blue cat I will gleefully name him Grover. Grover is my absolute favorite Muppet monster. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/103 "2026-04-14T23:05:36Z")
And rarely better than here: > [@There is a MONSTER at the end of this thread!!!!!!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-a-monster-at-the-end-of-this-thread/86687/58): > > But I was promised a monster. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/104 "2026-04-14T23:17:32Z")
I had 2 students named Oscar in the same class last year. I think it’s more popular in Hispanic families. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/105 "2026-04-15T00:48:42Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > I like poetry, so I looked for this. Damn. There is still scads of stuff about the poems, and the controversy, but the actual poems have disappeared. > Using the original spelling “Death of Oscur” gets different results, but still no actual text. Maybe you’re not looking in the right place. You can find the poems here: [https://sacred-texts.com/neu/ossian/index.htm](https://sacred-texts.com/neu/ossian/index.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/106 "2026-04-15T00:55:40Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > Grover is my absolute favorite Muppet monster. You have good taste. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/MRN2dhboC5s/hqdefault.jpg "Classic Sesame Street - Grover Goes Near and Goes Far (HQ)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRN2dhboC5s) ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/107 "2026-04-15T01:44:15Z")
That is the very bit that made me fall in love with Grover. He is so cute. ❤ ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/108 "2026-04-15T02:56:47Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Grandma’s name, BTW, was Lola. Who ever thought THAT name would make a comeback? I can’t tell. Is that a girl’s name or a boy’s name? ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/109 "2026-04-15T04:16:19Z")
Dolores is somewhat more popular as a boy’s name than Zoe, according to that Baby Name Atlas site. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/110 "2026-04-15T12:54:38Z")
Frank Oz is a genius. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/111 "2026-04-15T14:36:23Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > I actually knew a guy who went by Animal, though I think he might actually have gotten that nickname because he reminded people of the Muppet. Me too! Small world. It definitely was a reference to the muppet, specifically his hair. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/112 "2026-04-15T15:15:23Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Is that a girl’s name or a boy’s name? It’s a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/113 "2026-04-15T15:41:27Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > It’s a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world. I’m glad _someone_ got my reference. OK, I’m sure others did too; it’s not like the Kinks’ song is at all obscure. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2026, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/114 "2026-04-22T23:37:17Z")
There’s also singer Elmo Shropshire, of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” fame. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/115 "2026-04-23T02:33:39Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > “Got a rubber ducky?” Is that with or without a comma? 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/116 "2026-04-23T15:42:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > Ebenezers? I knew an Ebenezer back in the 80s. He’d have been born around 1970. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/117 "2026-04-23T17:22:34Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > No Grovers. Unless you’re a dork! Retro naming? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/118 "2026-04-30T22:50:46Z")
I was named after the titular character in the comic strip _ **Terry and the Pirates** _. Not “Terence”—“Terry.” My mother had always liked the name. I’ve hated it for as long as I can remember. Until my voice changed, every stranger I talked to on the phone thought I was a girl. A British friend once told me it’s a nice, friendly name for a bloke: “Hey, Terry, fancy going out for a pint tonight?” Has “Terry” ever been that common a name? (_ **Terry and the Pirates** _ ran from 1934 to 1973.) And have you ever known anyone named after a comic-strip or other pop-culture character? “Terentii,” BTW, is an old Russian name that has long been out of favor. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/119 "2026-04-30T23:20:02Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Has “Terry” ever been that common a name? I wouldn’t say it’s common, but it’s not unusual. Sometimes it’s short for Terrance and sometimes it’s short for Salvatore. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219/120 "2026-05-01T00:05:53Z")
I prefer the British spelling used above. “Terrance” is just too busy—too many “R’s” and an “A.” Bleah! 🙄 It pleases me no end that three of the first four James Bond movies were produced by Terence Young: _According to Bond historian Steve Jay Rubin, “Tall, well-dressed, and exquisitely mannered, Terence Young had all the panache of Ian Fleming’s James Bond.”_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-muppets-the-reason-names-like-kermit-and-grover-have-become-archaic/1029219.md?page=7)