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His Name is Harry Potter – No, Really
There are crappy names, and then there are names that were perfectly fine until a single mom wrote an internationally best selling children’s book and Warner Bros. started making movies about it.
Yes, I’m referring to Harry Potter. Not the boy wizard – the poor English bloke who shares his name with the fictional character. The REAL Potter wasn’t even sprouting hairs on his chin when the books started becoming popular. Hence a childhood and early adulthood of “you’re a wizard, Harry.”
Poor lad!
To make him feel better, Lemondrop pulled together a list of the worst kiddie lit names they could think of sharing with their kids – mostly based on how horrible the names themselves are (really, who names their kid Superfudge? Judy, we love you, but no, just no).
Fortunately it takes having the perfect last name to make most of these problems crop up (if his name was Harry Smith or Jones, the Hogwarts cracks would be non-existent). So what IS likely to crop up?
If your last name is Shirley – don’t call her Anne. Or paint the gables green.
If your last name is Drew – skip over Nancy.
If you’re a bunch of Mulligans, please refrain from calling Michael. Especially if Dad or Mom drives a steamshovel.
Don’t pick Christopher if your last name is Robin. And leave his stuffed animals at home.
Last name Ingalls? Skip Laura. And please, let’s stick with Mom and Dad.
There are some things you just won’t be able to help – like the new books with normal names (we’re likewise sorry to any Ron Weasleys out there, Hermione Grangers, etc. – if you named your kid Artemis Fowl, well, we’re sorry – for them).
Do you know any kids with literary names all the way through?
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0 Comments
Bec commented on Oct 28 09 at 11:13 amI guess it’s been a long time for many readers, but Fudge wasn’t a real name even in the books. The character was named Farley, but preferred to be called Fudge. That and the fact that the linked list includes Alexander (of the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) renders this whole thing silly.
I do feel for Harry Potter though. I id’d a James CHRISTOPHER Bond once. He was very particular about the inclusion of the Christopher.
feefifoto commented on Oct 28 09 at 2:15 pmComments My friend’s mother married a man named James Bond. I once met a Nancy Drew. The guy who hung wallpaper in my house was named Nelson Riddle, and he’d never heard of the original Nelson Riddle.
jesbelle commented on Oct 28 09 at 2:38 pmMy Aunt Carol married a Burnett.
Rebecca commented on Mar 14 10 at 6:51 pmThere is a Harry Potter in my hometown, an older man. I bet there are a good number of them out there.
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