Names from the Arts and Pop Culture
Names From Harry Potter
Across 5 pages
of 5
Pansy
English flower name from French
"thought"
Pansy is an early floral name that lost credibility when it became a derogatory slang term for gay people. Better these days: Posy or Poppy.
Percy
French surname from place name Perci-en-Auge
Percy is an adorable old name that is finally shedding its pampered Little Lord Fauntleroy image in this new era of boys with soft yet traditionally male names like Jasper and Elijah. Originating as…
Petunia
English
"trumpet-shaped flower"
Literary heritage: the "Loony Tunes" girlfriend of Porky Pig. But with the increasing popularity of all kinds of unusual botanical names, Petunia may be a name we start to hear more of.…
Phineas
English, Egyptian
"the Nubian, the bronze-colored one"
Phineas is the English variation of Phinehas, a Hebrew name likely derived from the Egyptian name Pa-nehasi. Pa-nehasi, meaning "the Nubian" can also be translated as "the bronze-colored one." The…
Pius
Latin
"pious"
Pius is the very definition of a religious name, used appropriately enough for several popes. Only a handful of baby boys receive this name every year. Despite the rise of similar ancient Roman names…
Pomona
Latin
"apple"
This name of the Roman goddess of fruit trees is also associated with a suburban town in Southern California.
Reginald
English
"counsel power"
Now seen as the chap in the smoking jacket in a 1930s drawing-room comedy, Reginald has actually been on the US popularity list every year since 1880. A name that was quite common throughout the…
Rita
Spanish, Hindi
"pearl; truth, order"
One of the glamour girl names of the Rita Hayworth 1940s, Rita was once a Top 50 name and stayed on the SSA list until 2002. The name Rita still has enough Latin zip to be a lively, revivable short…
Rolanda
German feminization of ROLAND
"famous in the land"
This is a rarely heard feminization of the rarely heard Roland.
Rosmerta
Roman
"the great provider"
Rosmerta is a Gallo-Roman goddess of fertility, abundance, and prosperity, often depicted holding a cornucopia. In the Harry Potter books, Madame Rosmerta is the landlady of the Three Broomsticks pub…
Rowena
Welsh
"white spear; famous friend; fame and joy"
A fabled storybook name via the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819), which featured a heroine called Rowena of Hargottstanstede, and also a Harry Potter name, as Rowena Ravenclaw,…
Rufus
Latin
"red-head"
Rufus is a rumpled, redheaded (it was the nickname for red-haired King William) ancient Roman name popular with saints and singers (e.g. Rufus Wainwright); now, Rufus is on the cutting edge of cool.…
Seamus
Irish variation of James
"supplanter"
Parents who have tired of Sean are now contemplating Seamus, the Irish form of James, which has a lot more substance and verve. One of the name's most famous bearers is the 1995 Nobel Prize-winning…
Severus
Latin
"stern"
Though it has literary credentials--making an appearance in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and as the mean-spirited teacher Severus Snape in the Harry Potter books, most modern parents would find it…
Sirius
Latin from Greek
"burning"
Yes, it's the name of the brightest star in the sky, but can't you just hear people saying, "Are you serious?" Singer Erykah Badu used it as a middle name for son Seven.
Sybil
Greek
"seer, prophetess"
The image of the lovely Lady Sybil, tragic youngest daughter of the Crawley family on Downton Abbey is likely to go a long way towards reviving this almost forgotten name, off the list since 1966 and…
Tom
Diminutive of Thomas
"twin"
Just like Sam and Ben, Tom could be revived as a simple, well liked name on its own. Tom, just Tom, is one of the Top 100 Boy Names in France
Vernon
English
"place of alders"
Once aristocratic British surname yet to be revived. Vince Vaughn recently gave his son the same double initials as his own when he named him Vernon Vaughn.
Viktor
Scandinavian, Russian, and Eastern European variation of Victor
The Viktor form of this classic name is widely used throughout Europe and is rising in the US as well.
Zacharias
Greek form of Hebrew Zachariah
"the Lord has remembered"
One of several more venerable names that get to the nickname Zack if you're tired of Zachary. In the New Testament, Zacharias was the husband of Elizabeth and father of John the Baptist.