[HPforGrownups] The Sacred Power in your name

[Neil Ward]

No: HPFGUIDX 1227

At 09:59 09/09/2000 -0500, Penny wrote:

>My argument is that it must be more often a name in its own right than a
>nickname.  My reasoning is that recent name polls in the UK list the
>name Harry.  

Yes, that's exactly as I see it.  

Your point, I realised, does not relate to what is shortened to what, but
what is common.  Harold has not been a common baby name in the UK for
decades, but if it were, it would get shortened to Harry.  Without checking,
I'm sure someone else here has mentioned the fact that Harold is an old
man's name (at least, people have given examples of octagenarians called
Harry). I wouldn't expect many boys of 10, 11, 12 to be called Harold.
Henry, on the other hand, is rather an upper middle-class name and may well
be the name on the birth certificate of some young Harrys (such as Prince
Harry).  Harry is a current, popular name just as it is, and further
evidence for this is the fact there has been a trend for nicknames to take
on 'given name' status in recent years, with other examples such as Charlie,
Jamie and Billy being common. 

My point, in the last post, was really to look at the derivation of the name
Harry, regardless of the previous debate. We do tend to go in circles on
this one!

Neil 


            Flying-Ford-Anglia

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   "Then, dented, scratched and steaming, 
   the car rumbled off into the darkness, 
   its rear lights blazing angrily"

 [Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]

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