Why is Python Named After Monty Python?

Yes — Python is named after the British comedy troupe Monty Python, not the snake. Here’s the origin story.

The origin story

In December 1989, Guido van Rossum — then a researcher at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica in Amsterdam — began writing a new programming language over the Christmas holidays. He needed a name that was “short, unique, and slightly mysterious.”

He was also a fan of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the BBC sketch show that ran from 1969 to 1974. The name stuck, and Python was born.

The connection runs deep in the Python community. The official documentation uses phrases like spam and eggs in code examples instead of the traditional foo and bar. The package installer is called pip — as in “pip install”, which Pythonistas will recognise as a nod to the self-referential humour the Pythons were known for.

Guido himself wrote in the language’s README: “I chose Python as a working title for the project, being in a slightly irreverent mood (and a big fan of Monty Python’s Flying Circus).”

Frequently asked questions

Why is Python named Python?

Python is named after Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the British comedy show. Creator Guido van Rossum was reading the show’s scripts while writing the language in 1989 and wanted a name that was short, unique, and slightly mysterious.

Is Python named after the snake or Monty Python?

Python is named after the comedy group Monty Python, not the snake. The snake and the Python programming language logo association came later — the name itself has nothing to do with reptiles.

What is the origin of the name Python?

Guido van Rossum chose the name in December 1989 while writing the language over the Christmas holidays, crediting his fandom of Monty Python’s Flying Circus in the project’s original README.

Some Python wisdom

A random selection of quotes from the team Python was named after.

  • We're all individuals! … I'm not.
    — Monty Python's Life of Brian
  • Nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more.
    — Monty Python's Flying Circus
  • Salmon mousse.
    — Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
  • It's just a flesh wound.
    — Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  • None shall pass!
    — Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  • Help! Help! I'm being repressed!
    — Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  • Brave Sir Robin ran away.
    — Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  • She's a witch! Burn her!
    — Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  • Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.
    — Monty Python and the Holy Grail
  • What do you mean, an African or European swallow?
    — Monty Python and the Holy Grail