Magical Baby Names from the Wizarding World

Let’s talk Wizarding World baby names.

While controversy surrounds the series’ creator, a generation came of age on the stories. Even if you’ve actively avoided the tales of witches and wizards, Harry Potter baby names have become solidly mainstream – Top 100, even Top Ten in the US.

It sometimes feels like we’ve all taken a page from witches and wizards, even if we’re not exactly Hogwarts graduates. The  naming style remains significant, influencing parents well beyond Diagon Alley. 

You can find your Harry Potter name below, but here are my observations on Wizarding World baby names.

FINDING GOOD HARRY POTTER NAMES: BEYOND RON AND HERMIONE

Here’s a quick primer for the two or three readers who can’t picture Diagon Alley and Platform 9 3/4 like it’s right down the street.

In the universe JK Rowling created, wizards and witches are born magical. Most of the time, at least one of their parents is also a witch or wizard, so this doesn’t come as a complete shock. But they can be born at random. Those of us in the non-magical world are called Muggles in the UK. (We eventually learn that Americans refer to us as No-Majs.) Muggle-born witches and wizards can be every bit as talented as “pure-blood” children from long lines of wizarding families.

There’s a sharp divide over this reality. Some feel strongly about marrying within the wizarding community, and those concerns can sound downright racist. The worst of them, followers of the sinister Lord Voldemort and known as Death Eaters, insisted magic was meant only for the select. 

Others, including the legendary Hogwarts headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, take a much broader view. The books make it clear that the debate isn’t new.

The tension is clearly reflected in the names chosen by some of the series’ main families, and I mention it because the impact on naming is clear.

BLENDING IN

Not every name would be out-of-place in the non-magical world. We Muggles use names like Harry and Ron all the time. In fact, part of Harry’s appeal is that he’s so ordinary – until he isn’t.

But it’s not just the title character with a regular Joe given name. The Weasley family includes Harry’s BFF Ron, his parents Arthur and Molly, plus siblings Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Ginny. They’re fairly standard-issue names, even though the Weasleys are magical on both sides, dating back as far as anyone can remember.

Despite their distinguished pedigree, it’s worth noting that Arthur Weasley is fascinated by the Muggle World. Neither he or Molly understands it especially well. But perhaps that explains their choice of mostly homespun, mainstream English names. They do have family names that lean magical, like Ron Weasley’s full name: Ronald Bilius, the middle name honoring an uncle.

Harry’s wizard-born dad was named James, but James’ father answered to Fleamont. So even within families, there’s sometimes quite a bit of variation across generations.

Hogwarts ghost Nearly Headless Nick is actually Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington. His first name, at least, is plenty traditional. Harry’s fellow Quidditch player, Angelina Johnson, would be at home anywhere in the English-speaking world. 

Neville Longbottom is an outlier in an American context, but Neville? Traditionally British, even if was most popular one hundred years ago.

Given that Hogwarts draws from all of Great Britain, Irish and Scottish names like Cormac McLaggen blend in, too. 

Other names mentioned in the series fit this broad category: Susan, Amelia, Oliver, Dean, Teddy. That last one comes straight from a Muggle grandparent, suggesting that as long as the worlds overlap, so will some of the names.

STANDING OUT

Look a little closer, and some of the Weasley names are stand-outs. Ginny is actually Ginevra, a thoroughly magical choice. One possible origin for the name? The Italian word for juniper, which makes this a subtle nature name – and puts it into another category entirely.

In fact, the majority of Wizarding World names stand out. When’s the last time you met anyone called Hagrid, Albus, Mundungus, Lavender, or Bellatrix in real life?

But precisely how they stand out? That’s what makes them Wizarding World baby names.

FAMILY TRADITION and NIGHT SKY NAMES

A handful of characters receive straight-up family names. Harry uses them for his own kids; there are a examples in the Weasley family and elsewhere, too.

But the more interesting practice is found in those wealthy, and often snobbish, aristocratic families, the Blacks and Malfoys and LeStranges, concerned with protecting their heritage and being as non-Muggle-like as possible. While these families sometimes repeat names, the most interesting practice is the use of celestial names, drawn from the night sky.

Several main characters share such names, including:

• Draco Malfoy, whose first name comes from the Greek word for dragon
• Bellatrix Lestrange, borrowed from a star and translating to “female warrior” in Latin
• Sirius Black, Harry’s godfather and a member of the Order of the Phoenix, takes his name from the brightest star in the night sky, also called the Dog Star – fitting because Sirius can transform into a shaggy black dog at will

Think stars and constellations, along with the occasional galaxy or other borrowing from astronomy. From Rowling’s perspective, maybe it’s practical – there’s a nearly limitless supply of unexpected names that still manage to sound very much like given names.

But it’s also realistic, isn’t it? Some families stick to saint’s names or literary ones, names that reflect their love of the outdoors or their heritage. Given how the old families overlap and inter-marry, it’s a Wizarding World name trend that became standard practice.

And, of course, American parents love these names, too. Midcentury Dawn gave way to Aurora; vintage Stella is back in favor; and Luna, a key Harry Potterheroine name, is more popular than ever.

WIZARDS LOVE MYTHOLOGY

Another big source of names? Mythology. That’s true for us Muggles, too, of course – we’ve been naming our daughters Diana for years, and choices like Atlas and Odin are trending, too.

But the names favored in the book series tend towards the more obscure. There’s Cadmus, the first King of Thebes, and Pomona, a Roman goddess of abundance.

Some, like Minerva, are exactly right for their character. Minerva McGonagall is the head of Gryffindor House and a brilliant, capable witch. It feels just right that she shares her name with the Roman goddess of wisdom. 

Remus Lupin, another Hogwarts teacher and significant figure in Harry’s life, shares his first name with one of the mythical co-founders of Rome. It’s said Remus and brother Romulus were raised by a she-wolf, another case of a character’s name hinting at their fate.

One more from the Romans: Luna Lovegood, arguably the most significant Wizarding World namesake to date, takes her name from the Roman moon goddess and the Latin word for moon.

Sometimes they border on the comical. Nymphadora Tonks dislikes her elaborate, ancient Greek name so much that she insists on going by Tonks. 

NATURE NAMES

Muggles love a good nature name. 

Harry Potter’s mother, Lily, didn’t know she was a witch until the owl arrived with her letter to Hogwarts. But her name fit right in with Lavender, Poppy, Pansy, and so many other botanical names that repeat among Harry Potter girl names.

Ghostly Myrtle, a former Hogwarts student who now haunts the castle, bears another botanical name. 

Padma Patil, another Gryffindor student, takes her name from the Sanskrit word meaning lotus. Her sister Parvati’s name means mountains. 

Other names serve double duty. Narcissa is the wife of Lucius Malfoy. Her name might come from the narcissus flower, but it also points to her selfish personality.

PAST PRESENT

Another big category of names? English go-tos of an era long since past. Arthur, and Millicent could pop up in your average neighborhood. But Cuthbert, Caradoc, or Bathlida? Some of them fit right in with names borrowed from myth and legend. Others are just plain old school.

Cedric Diggory, a member of Hufflepuff House and Harry’s rival in the Triwizard Tournament, wears both first and last names that feel borrowed from England’s past. 

Rowena Ravenclaw, a school co-founder whom Ravenclaw House honors, takes her name straight from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s medieval writing, with a hat tip to Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe. 

Heads of the Ministry of Magic – a sort of wizard prime minister equivalent – have included Rufus Scrimgeour and Cornelius Fudge. They’re familiar names, but undeniably old school.

And while Hogwarts serves British students, it’s worth noting that two of the founders’ names feel more continental. Salazar Slytherin sounds vaguely Spanish, while Helga Hufflepuff’s name has Norse roots.  

MAGICAL CREATURES

The names given to other magical creatures – like goblins and elves – sound less wearable. But even the animals get good Harry Potter names.

Rubeus Hagrid names his three-headed dog Fang, which feels a little like the quintessential dog’s name Spot. Hermione’s cat Crookshanks is also very clearly not-human.

But Albus Dumbledore’s pet phoenix is the very name-like Fawkes, a celver allusion to British history.

Firenze, a centaur who lives in the Forbidden Forest on the grounds of Hogwarts, also has a name that’s plausible for a person. It’s the Italian name of the city of Florence. 

More accessibly, there’s a toad named Trevor and owls called Errol and Hedwig.

Some magical creatures are much more human. We first meet house elf Dobby in the second book. Other house elf names include Winky and Kreacher (creature),

GLOBE-SPANNING AND MODERN BRITAIN

Just like Muggle names mix into the magical world, other influences make their mark, too. Modern Britain became more global, and characters with names like Parvati took their place in the English Wizarding World community.

Of course, European names are everywhere. Whether you apparate or travel by floo network, you’ll meet witches and wizards across the continent. Some even make their way to Hogwarts, like Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour – the latter of whom eventually marries into the Weasley family, and helps introduce some French flair to the names of the next generation of Weasley children.

IMMIGRANTS TO THE WIZARDING WORLD

They’re called Muggle-born, but really they’re immigrants, newcomers to a world they never knew existed until Hogwarts acceptance letters changed everything. That was true for Lily Evans Potter, whose nature name fit right in. 

Hermione Granger was the daughter of dentists, but with an unusual ancient name like Hermione, no one would think it. Her surname is a little more down-to-earth. It literally means “farmer.”

Others, though, like brothers Colin and Dennis Creevey, remind us that a great many conventional names make their way into the world thanks to new arrivals.

GENERATION-SHAPING INFLUENCE: GOOD HARRY POTTER NAMES

The stories now span two continents and nearly a century of history. (The first Fantastic Beasts movie takes place in 1926. Harry starts Hogwarts in 1991. The final book ends 19 years later with an epilogue, when we first meet Harry’s kids, in 2017. And a few years after that, we have the events of The Cursed Child, the book and Broadway play.

It’s not possible to glean much about trends in Wizarding World baby names. Bill and Fleur name their firstborn Victoire, honoring mom’s French heritage, as well as the events of the Battle of Hogwarts. But most of the other names would be at home at any point in the world we know, from Theseus Scamander – we met him in the Fantastic Beasts movies – to Scorpius Malfoy, from The Cursed Child.

Which makes it easier, I think to find your Wizarding World name! See below – and please tell us how to properly address you should we meet in Hogsmeade!

Hogwarts Image by Penny on Pixabay