Hermione

Hey everyone,

First of all, I am from the UK.

I’m about to have a little girl in a few weeks’ time and I am dead set on naming my daughter [name_f]Hermione[/name_f].

I mentioned the name to my mother who was a teacher for many years and she replied to me, “Go for it, I taught a few Hermiones and they were all lovely people so I have positive connotations with the name.” I was brought up to watch a lot films from years ago so I was very familiar with the name because of [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] Baddeley and [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] Gingold. Also, my older brother is dating a woman called [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] and I told her about my thoughts and she told me to go for it. I’ve also heard of the name being mentioned in real life over the years. I have mentioned my intention to my friends and they also have mentioned that I have nothing to worry about because they have other references to the name such as knowing people called [name_f]Hermione[/name_f], famous actresses, etc.

I’ve neither watched the [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] films nor read the [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] books. The last film came out nearly a decade ago and the [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] craze is over for most people.

The name wasn’t unheard of in the UK before [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] and I know that the [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] reference will always be there, but would the reference bother you? I don’t think it would bother me, but I am curious as to what other people think.

[name_f]Do[/name_f] you know anyone called [name_f]Hermione[/name_f]?

I look forward to reading all of your thoughts.

It’s not common in the US. Sounds like it’s common over there though.

Definitely wouldn’t bother me and yes, I know a [name_f]Hermione[/name_f]. She’s about 30 and wears the name well. It’s uncommon here (Australia) but it’s certainly not considered a particularly out there name.

As someone who grew up loving HP the reference to the character is not even remotely negative, so even if she is what some people think of immediately I don’t think it’s a problem.

I think [name_f]Hermione[/name_f]’s a lovely name with positive connotations, but even if [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] already peaked in popularity, it seems pretty deeply ingrained in pop culture. That being said, I am an American, and it’s always (as far as I know) been pretty uncommon here! If it doesn’t bother you that some people will just think you’re a big fan of [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m], go for it! It’s a great name. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though I probably wouldn’t use it because I shy away from names with very visible namesakes, I don’t know that it would bother me much, and I would probably admire it on others’ children. It sounds like you love it, and it’s a great choice for you!

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I don’t know any Hermiones and probably never will as that name is just waaaaay too out there for people where I’m based. I can’t even begin to imagine how bad a girl with that name would be teased in school (at least here kids are very mean!) I personally wouldn’t use it, it would bother me every single day. [name_m]Even[/name_m] if the HP craze is over and all that I still feel it’s forever going to be linked to that.

Hermione is a beautiful name but sadly for me it’s been ‘ruined’ by its link to HP. [name_m]Even[/name_m] though it is a positive connotation, there is absolutely no way that she could manage to go through life without having to put up with HP references. I personally would get tired of forever having to put up with people being funny trying to make dumb jokes about HP.

It doesn’t bother me at all, and since it doesn’t bother you, I don’t think there is anything to worry about!

@sweetcaroline

Where do you live? I could understand if a girl had been born during the [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] craze, but not so much now.

I had to use Google, but the two famous Hermiones here - [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] Baddeley and [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] Gingold - both actually moved to the US. Also, I did a little search and found that it was a popular name after WW1 in the US and is a relatively common name in the US south.

American here, who has lived in the south for 3 years. It’s completely unheard of as a first name. What list are you looking at? I have never met or heard of anyone named [name_f]Hermione[/name_f]. No one I’ve talked to has either. Only 79 girls were given the name in the US in 2018, which puts its ranking at #2289. It’s never cracked the US top 1000 (at least since 1900). In fact, I’m really shocked you’ve met one before, let alone several!

Also, I agree that [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] is still very much current. I love the character so it’s a positive association for me. I love the name [name_f]Hermione[/name_f]!

Even though most people don’t even speak [name_f]English[/name_f] here, [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] was still a really big hit and someone named [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] would definitely have to put up with those references even if she was born years after it.

I’m sure it’d be the same for a boy named [name_m]Severus[/name_m] or [name_m]Neville[/name_m]. Names such as [name_m]Fred[/name_m] or [name_u]Harry[/name_u] don’t really suffer from this as they were pretty well known names before. Whereas [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] kind of had its big leap to the outside world through HP

@Little_Molly

I have discussed my intention with my group of friends and at least a few of them know of at least one person called [name_f]Hermione[/name_f]. The name was used in the UK for a long time before [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] (although obviously [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] has increased its popularity).

In fact, I had a look at the Wikipedia article of the name and there were/are plenty of famous actresses called [name_f]Hermione[/name_f].

And:

“There are several examples of [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] in use in the Classical and Hellenistic Greek eras. The Lexicon of Greek Personal Names has recorded 107 examples of the name in use, many of them in [name_f]Asia[/name_f] [name_m]Minor[/name_m] where it was around the 11th most popular name for women.

[name_f]Hermione[/name_f] was also not uncommon in the [name_m]Roman[/name_m] Empire, often found in the Latinised form Hermiona. St [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] (d.117) was a [name_u]Christian[/name_u] martyr of Ephesus, while Pompeii sports the tomb of a Lollia Hermiona.

On British shores, [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] didn’t have much use until the 17th century, when it was used in literary circles. Most notably, [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] used the name for his beautiful and virtuous queen of [name_f]Sicily[/name_f] in A [name_u]Winter[/name_u]'s Tale, which was first published in 1623.

[…]

In terms of usage, [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] appears on baptism records in the late 17th century. It was rare initially, but by the 19th century, [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] (while still uncommon) had established regular use.
It gradually, gained in use by the end of the century, averaging 5-6 births per year.”

@SparkleNinja18

Things are different here, the name has been used for a very long time here and elsewhere (see above). Click on the Wikipedia link and you will see plenty women called Hermione, especially from the UK.

“It is important to note that [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] (pronounced her-my-oh-nee) is not a name that J.K. Rowling invented; the name was actually quite popular in the U.S. around WWI.”

https://www.business2community.com/travel-leisure/harry-potters-influence-on-baby-names-01353779/amp

“Was heard in the late 20th century in the Deep [name_u]South[/name_u] of the U.S. pronounced HER-me-un.”

https://www.babynamewizard.com/baby-name/girl/hermione

Also, please bear in mind that there are many other normal names here which are thought of as quite strange and unusual names in the US and vice versa.

@sweetcaroline

Your last post explains it. The name is Greek, but it has been used in [name_f]English[/name_f]-speaking countries for centuries.

Yes I am fully aware it’s a perfectly normal name that existed before HP but sadly it had its big breakthrough to the rest of the world through [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] and so it is heavily linked to that.

It’s like the name [name_f]Juliet[/name_f]. [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] didn’t actually come up with it yet the name will always be connected to [name_m]Romeo[/name_m] and [name_f]Juliet[/name_f]

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I wasn’t meaning to imply that J.K. Rowling invented the name. I know that to be untrue. I’m simply saying that it is not a common name in the US, before HP or now. As I said, neither I nor anyone I’ve met (in the US south or otherwise) has ever met or heard of a person named [name_f]Hermione[/name_f]. It is not common here.

In [name_f]England[/name_f] and [name_m]Wales[/name_m], 76 girls were given the name in 2018, ranking at #545.

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@sweetcaroline

Absolutely. Many normal names have been hijacked or whatever you want to call it by pop culture.

@SparkleNinja18

I knew you were not implying that, I was just quoting from the website. [name_m]How[/name_m] do you know that other people have not heard of a [name_f]Hermione[/name_f]?

Here is another example:

“[name_m]Even[/name_m] in the small [name_u]Texas[/name_u] town where I grew up, I knew a woman named [name_f]Hermione[/name_f].”

https://www.quora.com/If-I-have-a-daughter-and-name-her-[name_f]Hermione[/name_f]-after-the-[name_u]Harry[/name_u]-[name_m]Potter[/name_m]-character-will-others-make-a-joke-out-of-it-or-will-it-be-fine-What-if-I-named-all-of-my-children-after-the-Weasley-siblings-in-[name_u]Harry[/name_u]-[name_m]Potter[/name_m]

Also, check the other replies. [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] is a fairly common name in the UK.

Hi!

If you love it then use it. It’s a perfectly respectable name and as mentioned it wasn’t ‘made up’ for the HP series.

You never know what the next big movie, book or kids show will be and these fads come and go. [name_f]Elsa[/name_f] is another example of a similar thing.

My own name was linked with a very popular 80s/90s show and I got a bit at school myself because of it. However, in adulthood no one has even mentioned it without a collective eye-roll from all present. So don’t let it affect your decision too much!

All the best

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Because I’ve talked to my friends about names before and [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] has come up. Like I said, it’s a name I personally love.

I’m not saying it isn’t used in the UK or that I don’t believe anyone has ever met a Hermione before. I will say that it’s not common in the US and never has been.

I knew a [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] like 20 years ago, and she was about 18 then so I doubt she was named vis-a-vis [name_u]Harry[/name_u] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] (I don’t know much about the series though… is it that old??) I’ve not met anyone, young or old, with the name recently. I really love [name_f]Hermione[/name_f], it has such a lovely sound - strong, but feminine.