The Real Story Of How Gilmore Girls Got Its Name

Fans of the beloved TV drama Gilmore Girls know that the show’s legacy continues to thrive long after its 2000s peak. To this day, audiences remain fascinated with continuity errors, easter eggs, and long-standing fan questions, which continue to do the rounds on TikTok and beyond. Now, the unusual story of how Gilmore Girls got its name has been revealed, to the surprise of many longtime fans.

Speaking on her tell-all TikTok, former Gilmore Girls set costumer Valerie Campbell — who was part of the show’s costume department between 2001 and 2007 — shared the origins behind the drama’s title.

According to Campbell, the story began in 1880 when A.F. Gilmore and his business partner purchased two dairy farms in the Los Angeles region. In 1900, the pair struck oil and later decided to build “an entire farmers market complex.” By 1934, the market had grown in popularity and a service station, named Gilmore Oil, was built within the market. As Campbell notes on TikTok, series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino “named the show after Gilmore Oil” — which fans can still visit today at the Original Farmers Market at The Grove in Los Angeles.

As mentioned, the behind-the-scenes tidbit caught the attention of longtime fans, with one user writing: “Fabulous story! I never thought about how the name was chosen.” Meanwhile, another fan commented: “I always see that when I go to the Farmers Market and always think of the show, but had no idea about the connection.”

Speaking on his podcast I Am All In, actor Scott Patterson (who played Luke Danes on the hit series) revealed that Gilmore Girls was almost given the slightly different title of Gilmore Way, but creator Sherman-Palladino eventually convinced network executives to green-light her preferred title which fans know and love today.