diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 02ad17654..f85b1e50e 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ set(FISH_SRCS
     src/expand.cpp src/fallback.cpp src/fd_monitor.cpp src/fish_version.cpp
     src/flog.cpp src/function.cpp src/future_feature_flags.cpp src/highlight.cpp
     src/history.cpp src/history_file.cpp src/input.cpp src/input_common.cpp
-    src/intern.cpp src/io.cpp src/iothread.cpp src/job_group.cpp src/kill.cpp
+    src/io.cpp src/iothread.cpp src/job_group.cpp src/kill.cpp
     src/null_terminated_array.cpp src/operation_context.cpp src/output.cpp
     src/pager.cpp src/parse_execution.cpp src/parse_tree.cpp src/parse_util.cpp
     src/parser.cpp src/parser_keywords.cpp src/path.cpp src/postfork.cpp
diff --git a/src/builtin.cpp b/src/builtin.cpp
index b30bac0d9..0a9836a9b 100644
--- a/src/builtin.cpp
+++ b/src/builtin.cpp
@@ -71,7 +71,6 @@
 #include "exec.h"
 #include "fallback.h"  // IWYU pragma: keep
 #include "flog.h"
-#include "intern.h"
 #include "io.h"
 #include "parse_constants.h"
 #include "parse_util.h"
@@ -430,13 +429,6 @@ static const builtin_data_t *builtin_lookup(const wcstring &name) {
     return get_by_sorted_name(name.c_str(), builtin_datas);
 }
 
-/// Initialize builtin data.
-void builtin_init() {
-    for (const auto &builtin_data : builtin_datas) {
-        intern_static(builtin_data.name);
-    }
-}
-
 /// Is there a builtin command with the given name?
 bool builtin_exists(const wcstring &cmd) { return static_cast<bool>(builtin_lookup(cmd)); }
 
diff --git a/src/builtin.h b/src/builtin.h
index e8aff3b68..4b5e8b094 100644
--- a/src/builtin.h
+++ b/src/builtin.h
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@ struct builtin_data_t {
 /// The send stuff to foreground message.
 #define FG_MSG _(L"Send job %d (%ls) to foreground\n")
 
-void builtin_init();
 bool builtin_exists(const wcstring &cmd);
 
 proc_status_t builtin_run(parser_t &parser, const wcstring_list_t &argv, io_streams_t &streams);
diff --git a/src/builtins/source.cpp b/src/builtins/source.cpp
index 2cd81fd5f..8ecb937be 100644
--- a/src/builtins/source.cpp
+++ b/src/builtins/source.cpp
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 #include "../common.h"
 #include "../env.h"
 #include "../fallback.h"  // IWYU pragma: keep
-#include "../intern.h"
 #include "../io.h"
 #include "../parser.h"
 #include "../proc.h"
diff --git a/src/fish.cpp b/src/fish.cpp
index 5c0cef642..b06ca5398 100644
--- a/src/fish.cpp
+++ b/src/fish.cpp
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA
 #include "function.h"
 #include "future_feature_flags.h"
 #include "history.h"
-#include "intern.h"
 #include "io.h"
 #include "parse_util.h"
 #include "parser.h"
@@ -502,7 +501,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     }
     mutable_fish_features().set_from_string(opts.features);
     proc_init();
-    builtin_init();
     misc_init();
     reader_init();
 
diff --git a/src/fish_tests.cpp b/src/fish_tests.cpp
index f80b610e6..42331bcb2 100644
--- a/src/fish_tests.cpp
+++ b/src/fish_tests.cpp
@@ -7083,7 +7083,6 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv) {
     set_main_thread();
     setup_fork_guards();
     proc_init();
-    builtin_init();
     env_init();
     misc_init();
     reader_init();
diff --git a/src/function.cpp b/src/function.cpp
index 07ad6bb96..22c967a46 100644
--- a/src/function.cpp
+++ b/src/function.cpp
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@
 #include "exec.h"
 #include "fallback.h"  // IWYU pragma: keep
 #include "function.h"
-#include "intern.h"
 #include "parser.h"
 #include "parser_keywords.h"
 #include "reader.h"
diff --git a/src/intern.cpp b/src/intern.cpp
deleted file mode 100644
index e2bfb0f8a..000000000
--- a/src/intern.cpp
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,41 +0,0 @@
-// Library for pooling common strings.
-#include "config.h"  // IWYU pragma: keep
-
-#include "intern.h"
-
-#include <stddef.h>
-
-#include <algorithm>
-#include <cwchar>
-#include <memory>
-#include <vector>
-
-#include "common.h"
-#include "fallback.h"  // IWYU pragma: keep
-
-static bool string_less_than_string(const wchar_t *a, const wchar_t *b) {
-    return std::wcscmp(a, b) < 0;
-}
-
-/// The table of intern'd strings.
-owning_lock<std::vector<const wchar_t *>> string_table;
-
-static const wchar_t *intern_with_dup(const wchar_t *in, bool dup) {
-    if (!in) return nullptr;
-
-    auto table = string_table.acquire();
-
-    const wchar_t *result;
-    auto iter = std::lower_bound(table->begin(), table->end(), in, string_less_than_string);
-    if (iter != table->end() && std::wcscmp(*iter, in) == 0) {
-        result = *iter;
-    } else {
-        result = dup ? wcsdup(in) : in;
-        table->insert(iter, result);
-    }
-    return result;
-}
-
-const wchar_t *intern(const wchar_t *in) { return intern_with_dup(in, true); }
-
-const wchar_t *intern_static(const wchar_t *in) { return intern_with_dup(in, false); }
diff --git a/src/intern.h b/src/intern.h
deleted file mode 100644
index cba471451..000000000
--- a/src/intern.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-// Library for pooling common strings.
-#ifndef FISH_INTERN_H
-#define FISH_INTERN_H
-
-/// Return an identical copy of the specified string from a pool of unique strings. If the string
-/// was not in the pool, add a copy.
-///
-/// \param in the string to return an interned copy of.
-const wchar_t *intern(const wchar_t *in);
-
-/// Insert the specified string literal into the pool of unique strings. The string will not first
-/// be copied, and it will not be free'd on exit.
-///
-/// \param in the string to add to the interned pool
-const wchar_t *intern_static(const wchar_t *in);
-
-#endif
diff --git a/src/parser.cpp b/src/parser.cpp
index e9843ff69..54fbe5cc6 100644
--- a/src/parser.cpp
+++ b/src/parser.cpp
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@
 #include "fallback.h"  // IWYU pragma: keep
 #include "flog.h"
 #include "function.h"
-#include "intern.h"
 #include "job_group.h"
 #include "parse_constants.h"
 #include "parse_execution.h"
diff --git a/src/reader.cpp b/src/reader.cpp
index a49806faf..36c757d35 100644
--- a/src/reader.cpp
+++ b/src/reader.cpp
@@ -61,7 +61,6 @@
 #include "history.h"
 #include "input.h"
 #include "input_common.h"
-#include "intern.h"
 #include "io.h"
 #include "iothread.h"
 #include "kill.h"