How Matt Groening Named Simpsons Characters After Portland, Oregon Streets

Linguist Patrick Foote of Name Explain talked about how Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, used street names from his native Portland, Oregon, to name several characters. These streets include NW Flanders Street (Ned Flanders), NW Quimby Street (Mayor Quimby), and Lovejoy Street (Reverend Lovejoy), to name just a few.

As Matt Groening, “The Simpsons” creator, was a Portland native, he decided to take inspiration from the names of the streets he called home when it came to naming the plethora of characters who call Springfield home.

Visiting These Streets in Portland

Matt Groening Named Several Characters From ‘The Simpsons’ After Streets in Portland, Oregon
Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

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