Names in general (was sharing an unimportant discovery...)

[gregory_lynn]

No: HPFGUIDX 100218

> Neri:
> This is indeed a point that I always wanted to ask the British 
here. 
> Is my impression correct that the name Harry Potter does have 
> a "common" sound to it? To my knowledge Harry is indeed the common 
> form of the more aristocratic Henry. Wasn't King Henry the VIII, 
for 
> example, known as "Great Harry" to the commoners? Potter is also a 
> frequent name, and it had originated from a commoner's occupation, 
as 
> opposed to Dursley which (to my non-english ear, at least) sounds 
> more aristocratic. My thoughts were that JKR modeled the name Harry 
> Potter after those generic names of commoner kids in fairytales, 
such 
> as Jack (the giant killer) or the german Hansel and Gretel, but 
maybe 
> I don't read these nuances correctly?
> 
> Neri

While not British, I think it's clear that the name Harry Potter was 
chosen as an Everyman kind of name.  He is, after all, "just Harry."

What gets me is the other names.  Other than Harry Potter, and 
perhaps Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, don't all the other names 
sound made up?

Of course they are all made up, but there are names that sound made 
up and names that don't.

There are names with historical and/or mythological allusions buried 
within.  Nicholas Flamel, Minerva McGonagall, etc.

There are names that are word games, Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, 
Remus Lupin.

There are names that are pure whimsey, Wendolyn the Weird, most of 
the textbook authors.

Does anyone fear that the resolution of this story will involve the 
revelation that it's all either a dream or some kind of wakeful make 
believe?  That would irk me to no end but I think it's possible.

I think back to the first bits of the first book where Harry is 
looking around in his closet for socks and wipes away a spider, then 
I think of all the subsequent spider and sock references and I 
shudder.