Although Groening has stated in several interviews that Homer was named after his father, he also claimed in several 1990 interviews that a character in the 1939 Nathanael West novel The Day of the Locust was the inspiration for naming Homer.
Selv om Groening har udtalt i flere interviews, at Homers navnebror er hans far, hævdede han også i flere 1990-interviews, at en karakter fra Nathanael West-romanen The Day of the Locust fra 1939 gav inspiration til navngivningen af Homer.