From 1880 until 1915, Homer was a top-100 name in the US. It went through a long, slow decline over most of the 20th century, finally dropping out of the top 1,000 in 1984.
Three years later, The Simpsons debuted as a short on The Tracey Ullman Show. Creator Matt Groening named the dad, Homer, after his own father.
Today, Homer is synonymous with the jaundiced, bumbling doofus, rather than the classical poet. Unfortunately, I think that association will be insurmountable for at least the next century.
See also: Kermit.
I don't think Homer has been "ruined" in the same way Kermit has at all. Most people I know are sick of the Simpsons or never liked it in the first place, and would like to forget the show and all of its characters. I think the only real problem with Homer is that it's along the same lines as Earl, Otis, and Travis- seems to be forever stuck in overalls on a farm in the deep South. Some people consider the Southern hick vibe to be cool now though, don't they?
ReplyDeleteNot too long ago, many people would have said that Oscar would never get past "the grouch." I really hope that Homer will be the same way. My great-grandfather was a Homer, so I would consider it as a middle name regardless.
This one's tough - I don't know if it's done yet. Richard Gere and Anne Heche both have sons named Homer, and the Simpsons references are dying out (take it from someone whose last name IS Simpson ;). The Iliad and The Odyssey are so historically vital that I think it will be around long after The Simpsons goes into permanent reruns.
ReplyDelete"The Iliad and The Odyssey are so historically vital that I think it will be around long after The Simpsons goes into permanent reruns."
ReplyDeleteI agree, but I stand by my prediction that it will be 100 years before it's back in the top 1,000. I base this on the Baby Name Wizard's "100 year cycle" — Homer's moment should be right now (stylistically), but the Simpsons are holding it back. I think it will have to wait til the next go-round. With 35 uses in 2010 (up from 22 in 2000), it's still a long, long way from making the charts.
Interesting that both commenters think that Simpson's references are dying out — I don't know if a day goes by when I don't hear one.
I'm looking at it purely from the perspective that all my life I've heard them because Simpson is my surname, but such references have been fewer and further between (for me).
ReplyDeleteI agree that Homer is being held back by Homer Simpson, but I don't believe it's gone forever, unlike names like Experience which probably won't come back, at least not in our lifetime.
Oh I am so crossing my fingers that by the time I have children Homer and Simpson will not be so inextricably linked. namemuststay - you give me hope! As someone who never watched the Simpsons (it wasn't allowed in my house growing up! haha) I definitely associate it first with the poet, and I love the sound of the name. But I would just hate to have a little Homer who was constantly associated with the phrase "D'oh!"
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