# Harry Potter Name Question-H\*E\*R\*M\*I\*O\*N\*E **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 25, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273 "2003-06-25T12:23:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/1 "2003-06-25T12:23:24Z")
Just how the @#$% do you pronounce “Hermione”? What is the derivation of this name? Did Rowlings make it up out of whole cloth?😕 😕 ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/2 "2003-06-25T12:25:20Z")
Her-my-oh-knee, is how it sounds in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/3 "2003-06-25T12:29:17Z")
No I have heard of several people called Hermione in the UK. The name as far as I can tell comes from the Book of Acts where the prophetess St. Hermione is mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/4 "2003-06-25T12:29:20Z")
Also, in book four, she spells it out for Krum - “Her-my-oh-nee,” and I think the emphasis goes on “my.” It’s an unusual name, but it wasn’t made up - there was an actress named Hermione Gingold, who was in The Music Man, Gigi, and Bell, Book, and Candle, among others. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/5 "2003-06-25T12:38:14Z")
I looked [here](http://www.behindthename.com/nm/h2.html#herman) and found this: > [@](#): > > HERMIONE\_\_ f\_\_ Greek Mythology > Pronounced: her-MIE-o-nee > Derived from the name of the Greek god HERMES. Hermes was the Greek god of speed and good luck. In Greek myth Hermione was the daughter of Menelaus and Helen. This was also the name of the wife of Leontes in Shakespeare’s play ‘The Winter’s Tale’. ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/6 "2003-06-25T12:51:47Z")
Hermione Lee is a leading biographer of Virginia Woolf and Willa Cather, and has been a frequent broadcaster on BBC radio. ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/7 "2003-06-25T13:36:09Z")
And Hermione Baddeley. Played in a number of movies including The Secret of Nimh and Shadow Chasers ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/8 "2003-06-25T13:42:54Z")
Jim Dale, who does the audio books (and does a wonderful job), pronounces it “Her-mah-nee”. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/9 "2003-06-25T14:09:28Z")
And who could forget [Hermione Baddeley.](http://uk.imdb.com/Name?Baddeley,%20Hermione) ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/10 "2003-06-25T14:16:02Z")
**Zebra** Yeah! Mrs. Naugatuck ruled! (She was Maude’s maid to those not in the know). ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/11 "2003-06-25T14:21:20Z")
When Krum was calling Hermione “Hermy-own” my husband realized that he was mentally mispronouncing the name the whole time. Julie ---
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/12 "2003-06-25T16:18:48Z")
**goddess** –me too. I pronounced it “Hemy-own” too until I saw the movie. 🙂 IDBB ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/13 "2003-06-25T16:30:26Z")
I read it as “Her-me-own” until GoF(?), when Ron has a mouthful of food and Rowling phonetically spells out the name as Ron tries to talk to her. I re-read it a couple of times before I realized what it was. I wonder if Rowling did that so people would know how to pronounce it? ---
**Author:** ![curly\_chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@curly\_chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curly_chick)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/14 "2003-06-25T16:37:01Z")
I notice that most of the people in this thread who specify their location and have had problems with the name are USAers. Hermione Norris - the blonde one in [Cold Feet](http://www.coldfeetonline.co.uk/) says she was delighted to see Harry Potter books becoming so popular, as it meant that people would finally start pronouncing and spelling her name properly. Her-my-ohnee And she’s English, so it obviously ain’t all that popular over there either. Actually, when I first saw the name in the book, I asked my mother how to pronounce it That wouldn’t be so bad, but I’m 35 :smack: ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/15 "2003-06-25T17:40:18Z")
> [@](#): > > When Krum was calling Hermione “Hermy-own” my husband realized that he was mentally mispronouncing the name the whole time. I wondered if this was a dig at her American readers, who have likely never heard of that name (You’ll never hear it in the USA). ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/16 "2003-06-25T17:58:15Z")
I seem to remember it being put in specifically because Rowling had heard so many requests on how to pronounce her name (and because so many were mispronouncing it). Makes sense. I’ve seen some authors have a pronunciation key at the front of their books so you know how to say/read the names. ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/17 "2003-06-25T19:57:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by smiling bandit \* > \*\*I wondered if this was a dig at her American readers, who have likely never heard of that name (You’ll never hear it in the USA). \*\* …well, I gather in a few years there will be quite a few of them in our kindergartens. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/18 "2003-06-25T22:02:53Z")
Then there’s Hermione Bagwa, the blond waitress in _Attack of the Clones_. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/19 "2003-06-25T22:35:32Z")
[bizarro boards] **Why are there no Harry Potter threads in Cafe Society?** [/bizarro boards] Hermione’s name was pronounced by herself in GoF. I used to pronounce it Herm-ee-own. until corrected by millitant-fans in alt.fan.harry-potter ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273/20 "2003-06-25T22:39:25Z")
I only knew how to pronounce it because of Hermione Gingold. Now if someone could just tell me how to pronounce “Gingold”… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harry-potter-name-question-h-e-r-m-i-o-n-e/184273.md?page=2)