Are the muppets the reason names like Kermit and Grover have become archaic?

[terentii]

@doreen

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.

So instead of “Terry” you can call a guy “Sally”? I can imagine what he would have gone through by the time he finished school.

[Wendell_Wagner]

@terentii

Has “Terry” ever been that common a name?

Yes, but it peaked in popularity in 1957.

[terentii]

I was born in 1955, so other post-WWII mothers must have liked the comic strip too.

My older brother, who was a rabid Germanophile, once told me that if he ever had a son, he’d want to name him “Gniesenau.” I shudder to think of all the teasing that kid would have been subjected to at school:

“Hey, Knees-now! How are your knees now?”

[GuanoLad]

@terentii

Has “Terry” ever been that common a name?

It’s 33% of Monty Python, and also cross-Atlantic.

It’s a good name for a young boy comic book character because eventually you have to stop using Johnny or Tommy all the time.

[terentii]

@Shakester

I knew an Ebenezer back in the 80s. He’d have been born around 1970.

I read somewhere that the name “Ebenezer” was invented by Charles Dickens specifically for the character of Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. I guess it just sounded … appropriate.

[Q.Q.Switcheroo]

OTOH, apropos of the OP, I’ve never met a Herry.

[Moriarty]

@terentii

@Shakester

I knew an Ebenezer back in the 80s. He’d have been born around 1970.

I read somewhere that the name “Ebenezer” was invented by Charles Dickens specifically for the character of Scrooge in A Christmas Carol.

Nah, it’s a Hebrew name.

Hello, My Name Is: EBENEZER

The name is explained in 1 Samuel 7:12: “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it Ebenezer; for he said, ‘Thus far the LORD has helped us’.” However, the name became famous in the English speaking world when Charles Dickens named the protagonist of his 1843 classic, A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge.

[terentii]

Yeah, “Terry” does suit two of the Pythons. I also think it sounds cool when spoken with a British accent, which makes me feel a little better. (And yes, I do know that Terry Gilliam is from the US.)

I wonder if their given names were “Terry,” though. Or were they diminutives?

[terentii]

Yeah, I suspected it went back farther than 1843.

[terentii]

@Q.Q.Switcheroo

OTOH, apropos of the OP, I’ve never met a Herry.

That would be a diminutive of … what?

[Q.Q.Switcheroo]

No idea, but he apparently has a sister named Herriet.

[terentii]

Well, hit me on the side of the head and call me stupid! It’s clearly been too long since I’ve watched the Muppets!

[Jeff_Lichtman]

I looked up “Hilary” in the Social Security Baby Name database. It first shows up in 1949 as the 966th most popular girl’s name. It gradually climbed to 234th most popular in 1992. In 1993 it dropped to 647th, and since then it hasn’t shown up in the top 1,000.

The alternative spelling “Hillary” first shows up in 1963 as the 862nd most popular girl’s name. It hit a peak at 132nd most popular in 1992, and then started to fall. It hit a low at 983rd in 2006, then climbed to 772nd in 2008. Since then it hasn’t been in the top 1,000.

[kenobi_65]

@terentii

I wonder if their given names were “Terry,” though. Or were they diminutives?

Terry Jones was a Terence. Terry Gilliam is a Terrence.

[terentii]

@kenobi_65

Terry Jones was a Terence. Terry Gilliam is a Terrence.

So there are three different spellings: Terence, Terrence, and Terrance.

You learn something new every day…

[DPRK]

@terentii

@Q.Q.Switcheroo

OTOH, apropos of the OP, I’ve never met a Herry.

That would be a diminutive of … what?

Is it the same as Harry (= Henry)?

[Kron]

@Jeff_Lichtman

The alternative spelling “Hillary” first shows up in 1963 as the 862nd most popular girl’s name. It hit a peak at 132nd most popular in 1992, and then started to fall.

By my reckoning, Hillary hit the peak in 1953.

Thanks, I’ll be here all week.