Poor Milhouse. It seems as though even Matt Groening is against him because he chose the name he thought it was the most unfortunate name a child could have. Unlike the family members of the Simpsons who were named after his own family, and Bart was an anagram of brat (Groening himself), Groening decided to play villain a little in naming Milhouse. Even Milhouse Van Houtens middle name wasn’t sacred, protected or excluded from being ridiculed by Groening.
Fans of the Simpsons will no doubt know who Milhouse Van Houten is. He is the weak, nerdy, complicated and somewhat misunderstood best friend of Bart Simpson. He is of Danish and Dutch ancestry on his fathers side and Italian and Greek on his mothers side. Despite the striking similarity in appearance of his parents, which would make many think they are actually brother and sister, they are not related.
Milhouse is often portrayed as a child who is easily bullied. His father is a deadbeat dad, and his mother managed to hook up with several Springfield celebrities and body builders during their separation. He was actually designed by series creator Matt Groening for a Butterfinger commercial. So now to his name.
Milhouse is named after the middle name of former US president Richard Nixon because Matt Groening thought it was the most unfortunate name he could think of for a kid. His surname was created by Howard Gerwitz who is a freelance writer. He got the name from a friend of his wife.
Most of the staff on the Simpsons say they relate more closely to Milhouse than Bart, with producer Al Jean saying:
most of the writers are more like Milhouse than Bart
If you are wondering about Milhouse Van Houten’s middle name, it is Mussolini, which is the same name that the infamous dictator from the 1930’s and 1940’s had.
