What's in a name? - Weasleys

[ohtoresonate]

No: HPFGUIDX 36353

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "finwitch" <finwitch at y...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., Susanne <siskiou at e...> wrote:
> > Hi,
> > 
> > Sunday, March 10, 2002, 5:32:00 PM, Tabouli wrote:
> > 
> > > It's all in the name, folks...
> > 
> > Reading about all the possible meanings of characters names,
> > what about the Weasley family?
> > 
> > Is that a "good" name to have in JKR's books?
> > 
> > Where I grew up (Germany) it wasn't exactly a compliment to be
> > compared to a weasel.
> 
> Not in the wizard-world, either. I recall Ron being offended by 
being 
> called a weasel (by Draco Malfoy, who else). However, the coming of 
> family names... Someone *chose* that name. I think a Weasley 
ancestor 
> was a weasel-animagus.

Though most people in this fandom and in HP fan fiction (like Malfoy 
in canon) conclude that the Weasleys' last name somehow connect them 
to weasels, I find little to no evidence to support this assumption.  
Of course, I would be happy to entertain this theory if people can 
cite canon text as support.  :)

In fact, if you look at the structure of English names, you will find 
that names ending in -ley or -ly usually indicate an association with 
fields.  For example, "Stan-ley" means stony field and "Wes-ley" means 
field of the west.  So going by this pattern, Weas-ley should mean 
fields of
weas?  

Hmm
seeing how Quidditch evolved (IMO, rather arbitrarily) from Queer 
Ditch and Snitch from Snidge (and incidentally, "blimey" from "blind 
me"), I can't even begin to hazard a guess as to what the original 
word for "weas" could possibly be.

Anyone?

:) OTR