I  was watching an NCAA tournament game the other night and the cameras panned over to an older gentleman in the stands, a former basketball player, named Kermit…  I stopped paying attention to the commentators at that point and my mind wandered (as it does quite frequently)…

‘… Kermit, you never hear that name anymore, except for the Frog.  Actually, I’ve never met anyone named Kermit.  It probably was never a REALLY popular name, but I bet Kermit the Frog killed it.’

So I looked it up- and I was right.

Kermit, of Irish and Gaelic origin, hit the height of it’s popularity in 1909.  And held steady,

until 1955- when Kermit The Frog was created.

Since 1955, and as Kermit The Frog’s popularity grew, naming a son Kermit has consistently dropped in popularity.  And since 1980 it does not even show up in the top 1,000 baby names.

I’ve lived in the DC area pretty much my whole life, and it’s pretty diverse, but I’ve never met a Kermit.

Kermit The Frog, we love you… but you inadvertently screwed any parents who wanted to name their son after their ‘Old Irish Grandfather, Kermit’ or ‘That Cool Uncle Kermit from the Old Country’.