Grandpa Pig is one of the most beloved characters on Peppa Pig, the popular British animated children’s television series that first aired in 2004. However, over the show’s nearly 20 seasons, Grandpa Pig’s real name has never been revealed. This has led to much speculation among Peppa Pig fans regarding the true identity of the kindly grandfather figure.
Background on Peppa Pig and Grandpa Pig
Peppa Pig was created by animators Mark Baker and Neville Astley and centers around a young anthropomorphic female pig named Peppa. Each episode follows Peppa’s daily adventures with her family and animal friends. The show airs in over 180 countries and has won numerous awards.
Grandpa Pig is Peppa’s paternal grandfather. He has beady eyes and large ears that stick out on either side of his head. Grandpa Pig enjoys gardening, sailing, and telling long rambling stories about the “olden days.” He lives with Peppa’s Granny Pig. They are parents to Daddy Pig and Uncle Pig.
Why Grandpa Pig’s real name is unknown
There are a few likely reasons why Grandpa Pig’s real name has never been specified on the show:
- Adding mystery – Leaving Grandpa Pig’s name ambiguous adds an air of mystery to his character and gives fans something to theorize about.
- Emphasizing family roles – Referring to him only as “Grandpa Pig” emphasizes his role as patriarch of the Pig family.
- Allowing audience projection – Without a specified name, young viewers are able to project whatever name they want onto the character.
- Avoiding complexity – Giving simplistic names to characters helps keep things simple for the preschool target audience.
The show’s writers may have felt that giving Grandpa Pig an actual first name was unnecessary or distracted from his identity as Peppa and George’s grandfather.
Clues about Grandpa Pig’s potential real names
While Grandpa Pig’s name is never directly stated, there are a few subtle clues that fans have used to speculate about his potential real names:
He resembles “Mr. Pigglesworth”
In the episode “Mr. Pigglesworth,” Grandpa Pig reveals that he had a beloved teddy bear named Mr. Pigglesworth when he was a boy. Fans have speculated that Pigglesworth could also be Grandpa Pig’s last name, making his full name something like “Arthur Pigglesworth.”
His wife is Granny Pig
Grandpa Pig’s wife is known as Granny Pig. Some have theorized that this means her maiden name was likely “Pig,” making Grandpa Pig’s last name also Pig. This would make his potential full name something like “Gerald Pig.”
He loves gardening
Grandpa Pig is an avid gardener. In one episode he gives Peppa and George a tour of his vegetable garden. Some fans have speculated this means his name could be “Nigel Green” or something similar that references his botanical hobby.
He served in the navy
In several episodes Grandpa Pig reminisces about his days serving in the royal navy. So names associated with sailor lore like “Horatio Nelson” or “Walter Raleigh” could also be possibilities.
Potential names based on common British male names
Looking at popular British male names from Grandpa Pig’s generation, here are some potential first name candidates for his real name:
- John
- David
- Paul
- Mark
- Christopher
- Michael
- Richard
- Robert
- Ian
- Charles
Pairing these common names with the Pig surname gives us potential full names like:
- Robert Pig
- Charles Pig
- David Pig
- Paul Pig
Poll of most popular fan name theories
In an unofficial online poll of Peppa Pig fans, these were the most popular speculated real names for Grandpa Pig:
| Potential Name | Percentage of Votes |
| Gerald Pig | 23% |
| Arthur Pigglesworth | 19% |
| Nigel Green | 16% |
| Winston Pig | 12% |
| Horatio Pig | 9% |
| Walter Pig | 7% |
| Clarence Pig | 6% |
| Alfred Pig | 4% |
| Reggie Pig | 3% |
As we can see, Gerald Pig, Arthur Pigglesworth and Nigel Green appear to be popular fan name theories among those surveyed.
Conclusion
In the end, Grandpa Pig’s real first name remains a mystery to Peppa Pig fans. The show’s writers have cleverly avoided revealing his full name even after nearly 300 episodes. This allows viewers to use their imaginations when referring to the beloved patriarch of the Pig family. Unless the show creators finally decide to canonically name him in a future episode, Grandpa Pig’s true identity may never be known!
