Race in HP/name origins

[flying_ford_anglia]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C4792
From: flying_ford_anglia
Subject: Re: Race in HP/name origins
Reply To: [Yahoo! #4782] Race in HP
Date: 7/21/00 1:13 pm  (ET)

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As you've mentioned, Lee Jordan, Dean Thomas and Angelina Johnson appear
to be, or are said to be, black. I would say that Cho Chang is Chinese or
Burmese - something like that - 'Chan' is a common Chinese surname. Also,
the Patil twins are most likely Pakistani. Patil is very close to
'Patel', a very common Hindi surname in Britain, and the first names
Parvati and Padma would substantiate this. Malfoy sounds like Malfi -
a bit Franco-Italian - perhaps even alluding to the Mafiosi?

Any thoughts on the ethnic origins of the teachers? Sinistra, for example,
also sounds sort of Italian to me. Sprout is obviously from the vegetable,
but sounds a bit Germanic/Dutch (Sproot), whereas Vector and Hagrid could
be Scandinavian names. McGonagall is certainly Scottish. Trelawney is
certainly Cornish. And the rest?

Neil