Hermione

Honestly, I think all it would take for this name to become popular is a high-profile celebrity baby being named Hermione. I think it would have a snowball effect: Others who love the name, after seeing it being used, would feel it's "safe" as a baby name and follow suit. In my opinion, it's a lovely name!

I love this but the Harry Potter association may be too strong for me.

I named my daughter Hermione and it has been the most awesome name I could have chosen for her. Maybe I didn't choose it. She just IS Hermione, both blessing and curse. For all of you who choose not to because of Harry Potter, my heart goes out to you, because that is so sad to me. Don't discard something you love, something with strong meaning, originality, history, beauty because you're afraid of what other people think or actually the story you make up to yourself that people MIGHT think. Our experience has been nothing but positive. She goes to French school and there they call her 'Er-me-own'. If you're really afraid that the Harry Potter reference will be a problem, call her by her middle name. My nickname for her is her middle name, but she prefers her full, Hermione. And for fun to teach people how to spell it I say 'Her my one' because she is my one. Discard the nay-sayers if you are considering it. As Brene Brown says, Brave the wilderness. So few people have this name, which is a reason I loved it even more, so part of me says, "Don't encourage people" my daughter loves being 'the only ONE' but I have to tell you people who were once me, facing the criticism and the negative family members, they'll get over it or they won't, whatever. Doesn't matter. I couldn't be happier with my daughter's first name. I love seeing it written, I love hearing her say it and I love buying her wands. There's nothing more beautiful than the sound of your own child's name. Go deep. If you love it, then that is truly all that matters. All my best in your journey.

I will never forgive Harry Potter for making this name unusable. In an alternate universe, this is what my daughter is named.

Harry Potter has been around for over twenty years; if the name Hermione hasn't taken off yet, it's not going to. The plain fact is that women don't want to name their daughter after the smart plain girl. They just don't. They'd rather name her 'Khaleesi' or something stupid like that.

I'm sure you're alone in a variety of ways ;)

YES!!! this is my daughters name and people aske “so your parents are Harry Potter fans?” But I actually didn’t hear of the name from Harry Potter my friend loved this name and I loved it too so I named my duaghter this

I don’t get why people are saying You shouldn’t name your kid because of Harry Potter? Hermione is a very powerful feminine name.

This is my absolute favourite baby name, I am a massive Potterhead and that is partly why I adore it but also because of the reason JK Rowling chose it, she said that she chose the name Hermione because of the fact that a girl with a name like that would not get teased for being as smart as she is, and this is true! I have a very common name and some people do tease me for being a know-it-all

I could go on for ages, I basically just adore this name

It may be too long for a little girl, but you know little girls grow up, right?

YES!!

You.
Didn't.
Like.
Ron!!!!!!!!!!!
I had my period of Dumbledore-hating but that was in the 7th book, and I totally got over it.

Wow, awesome nickname! Why didn't I think of that? I love Hermione and Hero, and had a name crush on both of these names, although I'm undergoing another wave of "WHY HAVEN'T I GOTTEN A LETTER FROM HOGWARTS YET PEOPLE? SERIOUSLY!" so... :D

In a couple hundred years the Potter books will STILL be popular...!!

YES YES YES YES YES.

Why is the Harry Potter association bad? Hermione was an amazing character. She was brave, loyal, intelligent, hard working and just badass. Those qualities don't seem horrible to me. It's no different than naming your child after a historical figure who had qualities you admire.

If I remember correctly, there was a Hermione in "Women in Love". Pretty much just associated with Harry Potter now, though. Could have been a nice, unusual name choice otherwise.

This is the name of one of my favorite literary characters of all time. I love how the author picked an unusual name for the character, but kept it just as feminine as the character. This is one of my favorites and I just love how this name is associated with a smart, strong woman.

My take on the HP connotations...

Yes, most people when they first meet a Hermione in the wild will think of Harry Potter.

However, once they get to know her, Hermione will just be *her* name. No reason to assign a character's personality to a real person who you actually know.

I really like the name Hermione. A strong name that has a good meaning. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and Hermione Granger is probably one of the best know characters in literature today. Hermione Granger was also a really strong person and stood up for what she belived in. It is not a bad thing to be named after a character or if you just like this name with no connection to the character whatsoever. People still call their kids Harry and Lily and those two names were in Harry Potter. If Hermione is the perfect fit for your little daughter use it because you love it no matter who might have this name. And if you love Harry Potter and Hermione granger well that's just a thumbs up then isn't it?

Hermione was a smart badass witch! Why are people so afraid of the Harry Potter reference? I wouldn't mind naming my daughter after Hermione Granger. She was fucking awesome!

A few things: I always pronounced it as 'her-MY-knee', but maybe I'm in the minority.
Also, I don't know if people realize this, but Hermione Granger is an amazing namesake (independent, smart, loyal, and more!), and people who meet a baby Hermione are more likely to say, "Oh my gosh, I love Harry Potter and Hermione is awesome!" rather than "Ew, I hated Hermione." (I know this may seem as if I'm expressing my own opinion, but in real life, a lot of people really do like Hermione :P) If you have a problem with the HP association, then you could always bring up the Greek myths that preceded the phenomenon. Or, you know, just don't use the name.
Finally, for those who have concerns about the length/teasing potential of the name: your concerns are pretty valid. Like others have suggested, you could go for a nickname. Mia, perhaps, and indeed you could put Hermione on the birth certificate but have a girl go her entire life using Mia. Personally, i think the length of the name opens it up to a lot of nicknames (and not just the bad kind, haha).
Anyway, that's just my two cents :)

I'd much rather be named after or associated with a character such as Hermione over (Isa)Bella. Hermione was strong, smart, independent, didn't rely on a man to define her. Bella was whiny, dependent upon others, especially Edward, almost couldn't function when he left her, weak, and selfish.

I've always pronounced it more like Her - mine - ee, not like Her - my - oh - nee

idiot logic is: a fictional character has dominion over a name that is several thousand years older than her

💥 Hermione can be anyone! Penelope can be anyone! Zoe can be anyone! It's all Greek to me!

I think that Hermione sounds sweet and strong, and Hermione Granger is a great literary namesake. Yes, the name is very closely tied to Harry Potter, but I still think it's a perfectly usable name.

. I don't care about the HP connection, it was a name beforehand, and anyway Hermione Granger is an awesome character for any girl to look up to: smart, driven, brave, heroic, and a loyal and caring friend. Her character is an inspiration. I'd totally use it, with the nn Mia

I'd rather be named after Hermione than (Isa)Bella.

I agree. I never really liked Ron and after book 5 I certainly didn't like Dumbledore....

Well, to each their own. I guess it makes a refreshing change from using boys' names on girls!

Yeah. I don't really know why.

LOVE Hermione! If I could use it as a first, I would (with nn Hero), but since I can't it'll be a middle name for sure!

Really?

Lots of nicknames: Mina, Mia, and Ione..

I like Mina and Ione, too.

It's a beautiful name.

I disagree. You meet a person and they have all their own unique qualtities.. you start to associate a name with those.

I like this name on either gender.

I want to use it so badly, but my mother would be very unhappy if I did.

That's better than what I thought it was: Her-moyn. Yuck!

No, you're not alone!

It's a perfectly usable name! However, it's not a name I'd would ever consider using. I do like the Harry Potter films, although I preferred them more when I was younger.

How can you not like Hermione? She inspired me to be the person I am today! Definitely a middle name :)

This is my daughters name. It is especially obnoxious for me to hear how ignorant people are regarding her name. I'm 100% Greek. This is a Greek name, and Hermione is a saint of the ORTHODOX church. Goodness.

no,you're not alone :'D

Originally, I wrote a comment discouraging parents (wannabe or otherwise), from using this choice but, I've changed my mind.

While it's true that a Hermione in the 21st century will undoubtedly be associated with the Harry Potter character, so what? Hermione was a name long before the books came along, and has other historical associations which parents may draw upon if/when the choice is questioned. Not only that but, while well known names like Lily and James became everyone's favourites, the formerly rare and obscure Arabella, Ariana and Luna skyrocketed in popularity thanks to the series. And I don't see anyone criticising those names for their given associations, even when they can be, e.g. - Arabella Figg never seemed to take note of the fact that Harry was being abused by his relatives. Ariana was potentially raped, definitely tortured, left mentally scarred and somewhat handicapped, and later murdered. Luna doesn't have much of a bad reputation but, she was sort of air-headed and, as it stands, the word LUNATIC could be very easily used by bullies. Hermione, by comparison, has no real nasty connotation or tease-worthy aspects.

I personally wouldn't use it because, even though I'm a mad Harry Potter fan, I think that the amount of people who would assume that the character was the only inspiration for this name choice would get very tiresome very quickly. But, for other people, this may not be the case. And I believe wholeheartedly that, the more girls named Hermione there are, the more the character association will fade until all you're left with is a strong, elegant and truly awesome name.

So, with all that in mind and in spite of the warnings people have given, I think Hermione will make a wonderful name for any child whose parents are willing to give it a chance!

haha, nice one, me too.

IIRC, Richard Scarry used Hermione for one of his children's book characters. I was familiar w/the name when I was around ten or so & for some reason loved it from the start. But as much as I love the name & the HP character (my daughter has a lot of Hermione's characteristics), I wouldn't consider using it as a name because of the potential for either mispronunciation or people dismissing it solely as an HP name. However, if I wanted to give a nod to Hermione Granger, I'd use Ione...which could work as a nn for Hermione too.

Mimi as a nickname, if you don't want people to think you named her after Harry Potter. So she says "Hi, I'm Mimi" see, no suspecting Harry Potter, plus its a cute nickname.

I LOVE the name Hermione, as well as the character.

Inescapably Harry Potter, which is a good or a bad thing depending on your intentions for possibly naming a baby girl this.

It's a lovely name with rich history, and Hermione Granger is one of the best literary namesakes out there. So if you like Harry Potter and want that association, or if you like the name but kind of back away because of it, I say just go for it! There's worse associations to be had.

A bright side is that due to the exposure of the name, most people would know it and pronounce it right, and it's unique but familiar, though not common, since it's not so universally lovable as say, Luna, which has definitely become more used nowadays thanks to the HP boost.

Maybe as a middle name?

I really like this but my mom would have my neck if I ever used it.

Her-me-own, that's how I said it haha!

Great name, great character, but when I first read the books, I had NO idea how to pronounce it....just a thought. :)

Imo, its too long for a little girl and I don't like the possible nicknames like Hermy or Mione. And whenever my child raises her hand in class, I don't want her to hear Ten points to Gryffindor!

I have to agree with you on Bella.

You're right I guess. My view was a bit biased because although I don't love HP, I think Hermione would be a much better namesake than the distressed damsel known as Bella. (Twilight was horribly boring). Thanks for the clear up :)

Unfortunately Hazel was ruined for me because of the popularity wave that followed it :( But I think the difference is the previous establishment of those names in this country (USA) before their movies, whereas Hermione was not established, so it automatically is associated with the Harry Potter character. Especially because of the following Harry Potter has generated, the other movies did not generate such a long lasting cult following. Many people also do not find the name appealing, so will have the immediate opinion that they chose the name because of the character.

I don't know why everyone's saying they wouldn't use the name because of the Harry Potter association. If that were the case, then why use the name Bella despite Twilight or Hazel despite TFIOS?

I love Hermione to death and I'd totally consider this as a middle name to honor the character

This is a nice name, but nowadays it absolutely has to carry the image of Hermione Granger. A little girl named Hermione wouldn't be her own person. Everybody would think of Hermione Granger. Maybe in a couple of hundred years this will be usable.

It actually sounds nice but I'd always associate anyone with this name to Harry Potter :/

Definitely a middle name, someday.

I just absolutely love this name. Especially when used with the nn Mia.

I would definitely consider this name if it had decent nicknames available. Maya is one that comes easy but I'm not sure how to go about spelling it to work with the name, plus, Hermione and Maya have two very different feels to me. Alas, perhaps as a middle. I can think of a few other strong, smart women in the HPverse to name a daughter after, before Hermione, though she be a great role model herself.

Well, she didn't say it was fct. I don't mind if some people like Hermione, I just can't stand her, myself.

That's your opinion, not a fact. Just accept that some of us don't care for her.

Hagrid is my favorite, and I don't really like cats.

Theodora_Phoenix, Hermione is the best charecter in the entire series!!!! + Crookshanks

I watch the movie with caption a, the captions read:
"It's LeviOSA not LevioSAR"

I'm glad I'm not the only Hermione hater. I love the Harry Potter series, but Hermione was a character I never liked. Her name isn't all that great either. But my least favorite is Ginny Weasley.

I dislike this name......probably because I disliked the character. And it doesn't have that appealing of a sound anyway...

I love the name and I love the character, unfortunately I know I would be setting my child up for a lifetime of "Your parents were Harry Potter fans, huh?"

I love Emma Watson so, so much, but I would never venture this far into name obscurity to name my child after one of her characters.

no you're not alone :)

I'm sorry, but every time I hear this name, a little voice chimes in my head, "It's Wingardium LeviOsa, not LevioSa." Am I alone in this??