Today’s kids are growing up on Harry Potter, just as certainly as earlier generations came of age with Nancy Drew, Laura Ingalls and Anne of Green Gables.  A modern parent might expect that the heros of the series - Harry, Ron and Hermione - would inspire many a baby name.  But so far, not so much.

Instead, a minor character’s name seems to be the most likely JK Rowling moniker to catch fire amongst us Muggles.  Thanks to Unknown for suggesting today’s Name of the Day: Luna.

While Harry languishes at #578, Ronald hovers at a respectable #292 and Hermione flirts with oblivion outside of the Top 1000, Luna has quietly gained momentum in the past five years.  

Luna Lovegood first appears in the fifth book of the series, and initially she more than earns her nickname - Looney.  But by series’ end, she’s quite the little hero.

Mythological and astronomical names feature large in Rowling’s wizarding world, and indeed Luna is both.  The ancient Romans venerated Luna as goddess of the moon, and the word luna has referred to the planet for millennia.  The same root gives us lunar, lunette (for the crescent moon) and lunatic - literally, moon-struck or moon-sick.

Ultimately, Luna’s roots can be traced back to the Latin lux or lumen for light.  Like the fictional witch, madness is only at first glance.  On closer examination, she’s almost as respectable as Lucy.

Turn back the clock to the late 19th and early 20th centuries and Luna was in regular use.  In 1880, the name ranked #444.  She left the Top 1000 after 1921, but resurfaced in 2003 at #890 - the same year she debuted in the Harry Potter series.  

In just five years, she’s nearly doubled her place in the rankings to #451.  That’s just over 700 new baby Lunas last year - about as many as Harper, Samara, Evangeline or Willow.

Hop a Brussels Air flight to Belgium and you’ll find Lunas aplenty on the playground, where she’s a Top Ten name.

Luna also appears as a surname, a place name and common name for characters in sci fi, anime and comics.  And, of course, there’s the lime green luna moth.

Our favorite attachment to Luna, though, is Luna Park.  The early amusement park at Coney Island inspired namesakes as far afield as Berlin and Budapest, Melbourne and Moscow, Tehran and Tel-Aviv, as well as American cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Seattle.

It’s a bit of a daring name, but it’s also a simple and straightforward choice that works in many languages.  The nickname Lulu is one option, though we suspect most parents would simply use Luna.  And with Luna gaining popularity, she emerges as a valid nature name - far more sophisticated than Starr or Skye, but just as heavenly.