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The Etymology of Sesame Street

Ella Byrne-Cabot

Edited by Sasha Pavlov

Sesame Street executive producer Dave Connnel said, “If nobody comes up with a better idea, as of Monday we are going to call it Sesame Street,” (How Sesame Street Got Its Name).

The iconic and longstanding children's program was very nearly called 1-2-3 Avenue B,

a very snappy New York-y title, but was changed to relate more to audiences outside of New York City who might not understand the avenue aspect of the title. The names of the Muppet residents of Sesame Street range from descriptive, cutesy names, such as Cookie Monster and Big Bird, to more uncommon but human names such as Grover and Murray. Much how Sesame Street was the least worst title option out of the suggestions, the names of the Muppets were chosen based on comedic effect and any contemplation of their meanings is just spectation, because who can know what went through Jim Henson’s head when naming Kermit The Frog? It could have quite possibly been completely random.

Kermit the Frog

Kermit, the greenest, most famous cloth frog in modern history ruined the name Kermit for any parents choosing a non-ridiculous name without comedic connotations for their son. The name Kermit was first notably used as a first name by president Theodore Roosevelt when naming his son. The name Kermit derived from the Gaelic surname MacDermott, meaning son of Diarmaid. Another name that came from the name Diarmaid is Dermot, which means without envy. Envy and jealousy are associated with the color green, which, you guessed it, Kermit certainly is. The Kermit character is not portrayed as jealous, but as a soft spoken and mature straight-man (straight-frog?) that reacts to the craziness of his other Muppet neighbors. His name is unique and memorable, like the character himself.

Elmo’s name is easy to pronounce and kind of baby-talkish, which is partly why he is a favorite of the little kid crowd. Elmo is a Germanic name that means helmet and protector and is derived from the Latin name Erasmus, which means beloved, as well as from Saint Elmo,the patron saint and protector of sailors. Elmo is beloved by children, who you might consider as sailing through an unknown world of new knowledge and social endeavors and need a guide. Their connection to Elmo could be similar to the connection sailors felt to their patron saint. The character of Elmo was originally called “Baby Monster”, because of his size and bright, wide eyes but was renamed Elmo by Kevin Clash.

Sesame Street characters are named not for any subtextual meaning, but their names’ etymology can add even more depth to these absurd and silly characters.

Elmo and puppeteer, Kevin Clash

Works CitedAttie, David. Sesame Street Behind-the-Scenes Shoot. New York.
Campbell, Mike. “Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Kermit.” Behind the Name, https://www.behindthename.com/name/kermit.
Campbell, Mike. “Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Elmo.” Behind the Name, https://www.behindthename.com/name/elmo.
Coppola, Mike. "Sesame Street" 40th Anniversary Temporary Street Renaming In New York City. New York City.
Hanks, Patrick, et al. A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press, 2016.
“How Sesame Street Got Its Name.” Sesame Workshop, https://www.sesameworkshop.org/who-we-are/our-history/how-sesame-street-got-its-name.
MacLeod, Iseabail C., and Terry Freedman. The Wordsworth Dictionary of First Names. Wordsworth Editions, 1995.

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