# Thoughts upon finishing the Harry Potter books (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 21, 2008, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-upon-finishing-the-harry-potter-books-open-spoilers/478149 "2008-12-21T03:37:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-upon-finishing-the-harry-potter-books-open-spoilers/478149/61 "2009-01-14T23:11:52Z")
Oh, and of course there’s my continuing complaint that “Harry” is just a diminutive. His formal name should be **Henry** James Potter. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-upon-finishing-the-harry-potter-books-open-spoilers/478149/62 "2009-01-14T23:37:22Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > Oh, and of course there’s my continuing complaint that “Harry” is just a diminutive. His formal name should be **Henry** James Potter. Unless it isn’t. “Harry” may have originated as a diminutive form of “Henry”, it’s certainly possible for “Harry” (or “Danny”, “Billy”, etc.) to be a boy’s full legal first name. This kind of thing has been common since at least the 1950s. My own father’s full first name is also one normally considered a diminutive, but the diminutive form is the name my grandparents picked out for him. It’s on his birth certificate and everything. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-upon-finishing-the-harry-potter-books-open-spoilers/478149/63 "2009-01-14T23:54:33Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Unless it isn’t. “Harry” may have originated as a diminutive form of “Henry”, it’s certainly possible for “Harry” (or “Danny”, “Billy”, etc.) to be a boy’s full legal first name. This kind of thing has been common since at least the 1950s. My own father’s full first name is also one normally considered a diminutive, but the diminutive form is the name my grandparents picked out for him. It’s on his birth certificate and everything. Indeed - one of my brothers is called Harry. It’s the name on his birth certificate and everything. It’s no different to someone being called Ben or Josh in their own right (as opposed to Benjamin and Joshua). ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-upon-finishing-the-harry-potter-books-open-spoilers/478149/64 "2009-01-14T23:58:19Z")
I didn’t realise Harry was the nickname for Henry-I thought it was the diminutive for Harold. I always thought “Hank” was the nickname for Henry. Also, why would “Henry” even need a nickname? ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2009, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-upon-finishing-the-harry-potter-books-open-spoilers/478149/65 "2009-01-14T23:58:24Z")
> [@Yumblie](#): > > Yeah, the outcomes of the teen romances were achingly predictable, but there isn’t really any other way to do it. She built up these relationships over 7 books, and to tack on an epilogue saying “oh by the way their marriage dissolved” would feel like a slap in the face. It’d be more realistic, but it wouldn’t really work in that type of story. It’s also more likely, given that universe, that people would end up with their teenage sweethearts. While magic people do marry non-magic people, I would imagine it is a bit of a problem in the whole dating scenario. And a young wizard/witch would be most exposed to easy dating prospects while at Hogwarts/whatever other school. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-upon-finishing-the-harry-potter-books-open-spoilers/478149/66 "2009-01-15T03:37:35Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Unless it isn’t. “Harry” may have originated as a diminutive form of “Henry”, it’s certainly possible for “Harry” (or “Danny”, “Billy”, etc.) to be a boy’s full legal first name. It might be possible but _it’s just plain wrong_, and that’s one thing on which reality will not shift me. People oughtn’t to have diminutives as their real names. Period. (Excuse me while I cover my ears while any contrary reply comes up.) > [@anu-la1979](#): > > I didn’t realise Harry was the nickname for Henry-I thought it was the diminutive for Harold. I always thought “Hank” was the nickname for Henry. Also, why would “Henry” even need a nickname? English people traditionally used only about half a dozen given names. Frequently for generations, fathers and sons would have exactly the same name. Sometimes even brothers would be given the same name. It was very confusing. If everyone was named “Robert,” then they had to come up with different ways of addressing them – Robby, Bobby, Hobby, Nobby, Dobby, etc. (Those are all real diminutives for Robert. Not making that up.) Look at Shakespeare’s _Henry IV_. Every single one of the principal characters have “Henry” for their given names. I seem to recall an old joke about a Scottish village in which everyone is named Alexander White (“Sanny Fhite”). A stranger comes looking for Alexander White and he keeps having to add descriptions to narrow it down (tall, thin, red-haired, big-nosed, clean-shaven, dirty-finger-nailed Sandy White). ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-upon-finishing-the-harry-potter-books-open-spoilers/478149/67 "2009-01-15T04:37:46Z")
Forgot to add: “Harry” was originally an Anglicized pronunciation of the French “Henri.” The Anglo-Saxon version was something like “Heimirich.” ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-upon-finishing-the-harry-potter-books-open-spoilers/478149/68 "2009-01-15T10:15:32Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > It might be possible but _it’s just plain wrong_, and that’s one thing on which reality will not shift me. People oughtn’t to have diminutives as their real names. Period. (Excuse me while I cover my ears while any contrary reply comes up.) Well they do in reality, not just in fiction, so I suggest you get over it lest you end up lecturing someone IRL that their legal name isn’t valid because it’s technically a diminutive. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-upon-finishing-the-harry-potter-books-open-spoilers/478149/69 "2009-01-15T13:44:52Z")
> [@Illuminatiprimus](#): > > Well they do in reality, not just in fiction, so I suggest you get over it lest you end up lecturing someone IRL that their legal name isn’t valid because it’s technically a diminutive. I suggest you refrain from lecturing a complete stranger on the Internet when all you have to go on is a casual and flippantly worded statement of opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-upon-finishing-the-harry-potter-books-open-spoilers/478149/70 "2009-01-15T13:53:47Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > I suggest you refrain from lecturing a complete stranger on the Internet when all you have to go on is a casual and flippantly worded statement of opinion. I suggest you switch your sense of humour to the “On” setting. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2009, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-upon-finishing-the-harry-potter-books-open-spoilers/478149/71 "2009-01-15T14:24:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Oh, and of course there’s my continuing complaint that “Harry” is just a diminutive. His formal name should be Henry James Potter. Some names in the wizarding world may sound like diminutives of ordinary names but aren’t meant as such, according to Rowling - Bill Weasley is supposed to be short for Bilius rather than William, and Ginny is short for Ginerva rather than Virginia. At least that’s what she said later - considering that all the Weasleys were given names that are pretty common outside of Hogwarts (Arthur, Molly, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ronald - and yes, Ron has been referred to by the full name on occasion, it’s not short for something wizard-y that isn’t Ronald), I can imagine that “wizarding up” the full names was likely an afterthought. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thoughts-upon-finishing-the-harry-potter-books-open-spoilers/478149.md?page=3)