History of the Harry Potter Name

The Harry Potter name dates back to JK Rowling’s childhood in Gloucestershire, England, UK. As a child, she had friends next door whose surname was Potter and the would-be author took a liking to the name. JK’s initials stand for Joanne Kathleen.

The author claims Harry is simply her favorite boy’s name and she would have named her first child Harry had she not had a girl.

Harry is the medieval English form of Henry, which in turn is derived from the Germanic name Heimreich, which meant home ruler. The name was introduced to Britain by the Normans invaders in 1066. Eight kings of England, including the infamous Henry VIII, have had the name as well as six kings of France and seven kings of Germany. Hal is another version of Harry.

Despite the worldwide impact of the Harry Potter books, Harry is an unpopular Christian name in the United States. In 2003, it had slipped to 516th in the most popular name lists after being the 13th most popular Christian name in 1900-1909. Since the first Harry Potter was book was published in 1997, the name has continued decline in popularity.

Like Harry, Potter was originally a French name and introduced to Britain by the Normans.

Here have been numerous other famous Harrys from history and popular culture, including:

• HRH Prince Harry – controversial son of Charles and Diana, who was actually christened Henry but known as Harry
  [Books about HRH Prince Harry]
• Harry S. Truman - 33rd president of the United States
  [Books about Harry S. Truman]
• Harry Connick Jr. – singer, pianist and actor
  [Books about Harry Connick Jr.]
• Harry Frank Guggenheim – mining industry magnate
  [Books about Harry Frank Guggenheim]
• Harry Burns – the character played by Billy Crystal in the movie When Harry Met Sally
  [Books about Harry Burns]
• ‘Dirty Harry’ Callahan – Clint Eastwood’s no nonsense rule-bending movie detective
  [Books about Dirty Harry]
• Harry Houdini – the world’s greatest escapologist
  [Books about Harry Houdini]
• Harry Palmer – hero of Len Deighton’s thrillers, played by Michael Caine in the films.
  [Books about Harry Palmer]

There have also been several famous Potters from literature, including Beatrix Potter, the creator of Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck and other classic children’s characters.

Genealogy

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