I’m a lover of Greek mythology and was reading a novel based around [name_f]Hermione[/name_f], the daughter of [name_f]Helen[/name_f] of [name_m]Troy[/name_m].
As with all book characters, when I begin to love the character, I fall in love with the name. Its derived from “[name_m]Hermes[/name_m],” the Greek messenger God of travels and literature (and much much more.) Which I love, because I love to travel and hike and explore. And, obviously I’m a bookworm.
But I’m worried about it having such a strong association with [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m]. [name_m]Don[/name_m]'t get me wrong, I [name_u]LOVE[/name_u] [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m]. Huge nerd, here. But I’m concerned that it might be “too much.”
Would you veto [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] due to the heavy pop culture reference?
While the connection’s pretty heavily there, I wouldnt be put off of [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] because of it. [name_f]Luna[/name_f] is incredibly popular and honestly, my only association for that is also [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m].
I do have a strong reference to harry potter when I hear that name. However, I still adore the name and if you love it then don’t let it stop you from using it!
It’s definitely usable! Although [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] is strongly associated with HP, it’s starting to appear in other things, such as in the tv show Riverdale.
[name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] would probably be the most commonly known association but I always think of the character from [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m]'s [name_u]Winter[/name_u]'s Tale. I think it’s a beautiful name and is perfectly usable (hence, my signature)
Also, what @leafsgirl44 said about [name_f]Luna[/name_f] – I hadn’t really heard before [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] either and that name has done really well! And I agree with @river_dweller as well about [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] becoming mroe widely used in pop culture and in real life.
I think you should totally go for it if you love it! <3
I do think of [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] immediately when I see it. If you were to use it I think people would think you’re a huge fan. Those who know of the books and movies would at least know how to pronounce it, while those who aren’t as familiar may need help spelling and pronouncing it. Overall, I don’t think it’s unusable but it is heavily associated with [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] for now. Personally I would only consider it as a middle name.
I think it would’ve been too strongly associated at the height of the movies, but since the popularity has died down I don’t think the association makes it unusable or anything like that. I think it’s like naming your daughter [name_u]Ariel[/name_u], some people will immediately think of the little mermaid and it won’t even cross the minds of others. [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] is a great character too so it doesn’t put me off the name.
It’s way too tied to HP for me. I’ve never met or even heard of a [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] in real-life. I learned of the name through HP and have not seen it used in anything else (I know there are other works that use the name and it has a history but I’ve never directly interacted with anything with a character named [name_f]Hermione[/name_f]). So I have no frame of reference for a [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] outside of HP. That being said, it’s not the same for everybody, as many of the pps above think it’s usable!
I wouldn’t veto [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] due to the HP connection, as it was the character that made me want to use it. But in general, [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] has had a lot of use and history pre-HP, and I know of at least one actress with the name (who’s older than the books). I do think the character would be many people’s first thought, however I think after a while the name will just fit and be associated with the person, especially amongst family and friends.
If [name_m]Atticus[/name_m] and [name_f]Lyra[/name_f] are usable (#326 & #680 in the US, respectively) despite strong, singular literary associations, I don’t see why not [name_f]Hermione[/name_f]!
I think the trick here is to embrace the association as one of the name’s many positive traits. [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] [name_m]Granger[/name_m] is bright, brave, independent, compassionate, loyal - a wonderful character to have associated with a child’s name. You don’t have to name the child after the character in order to appreciate the character as a namesake.
In fact, the one thing that would really put me off the name (spelling and pronunciation challenges) is ameliorated by the familiarity of the character!
I feel like HP will be less relevant by the time potential DD is that sort of age, and less people will associate the name with the book. I know a [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] who was born when the series was starting to get popular and as far as I know she’s never had a problem with it.
I think [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] as a middle name would be great as I would immediately think of [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] but I don’t think it’s a problem but if you’re worried about the association use it as a middle name and use a lesser known HP name! Maybe [name_f]Fleur[/name_f], [name_f]Rowena[/name_f], [name_f]Luna[/name_f], [name_f]Molly[/name_f], [name_f]Lily[/name_f], [name_f]Minerva[/name_f] ([name_f]Minnie[/name_f]), [name_f]Lavender[/name_f] or [name_f]Poppy[/name_f] (Pomfrey).
I think [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] is still usable bit it definitely is a strong association. Personally I’d use it as a middle name. If you do use it as a first though, remember she’s one of the best characters in the series. I certainly wouldn’t mind sharing a name with her.
I’ve been familiar with the name [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] since long before I heard of [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] because of the actress [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] Baddeley (and I’ve never been into HP), but I do think the association is pretty strong. However, I’m also someone who has a name pretty tied to pop culture, and it’s never bothered me at all. In fact, it’s a fun conversation starter sometimes! So personally I don’t think it’s that much of a problem.
I do think of [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] first, but I don’t necessarily think that makes the name unusable or that the connection is bad!
I’ve known two Hermiones - one born before the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] series, one after - they both said they get asked when people first meet them if it’s because of [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m], they say ‘no’ and that’s it - not a massive hardship!
I immediately think of [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] [name_m]Granger[/name_m] but I think the name is still usable. It’s a beautiful name. If you’re still questioning it, maybe consider [name_f]Hermine[/name_f]/[name_f]Hermina[/name_f] or [name_f]Ione[/name_f]?
I think [name_f]Ione[/name_f] or [name_f]Mina[/name_f] is a cute nn for [name_f]Hermione[/name_f].
I think it’s bold but usable. I’m not really a [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] fan (I haven’t picked up a [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] book since I was a teenager) but [name_f]Hermione[/name_f] was a good character (an intelligent and brave young woman) so it’s not a bad association. And as other posters have said, at least everyone will know how to pronounce it!
Plus, I think the [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] association will lessen as your child gets older and new book/film series will have replaced it in popularity.
So people will definitely think about [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] but I do think that it is usable! It has previous use in [name_m]Shakespeare[/name_m] as well.
