# What could "Harry" be short for **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 2, 2004, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-harry-be-short-for/227130 "2004-02-02T02:43:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-harry-be-short-for/227130/41 "2004-02-03T19:23:57Z")
> [@Moo the Magic Cow](#): > > I think plain Harry is fine, too. There’s always that one teacher who’ll insist on calling you Harold and it’ll irk you to no end. Plus, there’s no question of whether you go by something else. > > Alternately, > Harris > Hari > Harlan > Harald > Haraldur (oo, icelandic) > harmon > harper I think with Harlan, ther’ll always be someone who insists on calling you Harley. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-harry-be-short-for/227130/42 "2004-02-04T01:27:14Z")
**Herodotus**. Now that’s somebody I wouldn’t mind being named after. **Hero**. Especially if you want him to move to Japan and hunt down evil monsters. Plus then his nickname will be longer then his real name. [sidenote] You don’t see very many Hardecanutes these days. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-harry-be-short-for/227130/43 "2004-02-04T01:33:59Z")
**HERCULES!** Seriously, just plain “Harry” is the best option. Harrington sounds like herring. Did you just make it up or is it a real name? ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-harry-be-short-for/227130/44 "2004-02-04T04:19:58Z")
A guy in my home town had the last name of Rears. His parents were thoughtless enough to name him Henry; which became Harry, so he was Harry Rears; which became Fuzz Butt. ---
**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:** [February 4, 2004, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-harry-be-short-for/227130/45 "2004-02-04T16:44:26Z")
[hijackish] Munch’s Brother: If we have another boy, we’re going to name him Decklaighn. Mother Munch: WHAT?!? Munch’s Brother: It’s a very Irish name. Munch: It’s a very Irish BAD name. Munch’s Brother: … Munch: Mom, if he’s going to have a boy, just buy me a dog a month before the kid’s due and name him Decklaighn. Problem solved. Mother Munch: Brilliant! [/hijackish] ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-harry-be-short-for/227130/46 "2004-02-04T16:55:08Z")
Aren’t Harry Truman and Harry Potter both just plain Harrys (not short for anything else)? What’s wrong with that? ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-harry-be-short-for/227130/47 "2004-02-04T18:02:00Z")
> [@David Simmons](#): > > A guy in my home town had the last name of Rears. His parents were thoughtless enough to name him Henry; which became Harry, so he was Harry Rears; which became Fuzz Butt. That is almost the best thing I’ve heard today. Don’t feel bad, the best was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2004, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-harry-be-short-for/227130/48 "2004-02-04T21:58:40Z")
I had a friend named Harrison. He went by Harrison. I never thought of Harrison Ford. Harry, however, will for many years mean Harry Potter to millions of people. And please, _please_ give your child a name that has a nickname. If he decides he doesn’t like Harry, he doesn’t have a lot of recourse. ---
**Author:** ![BellaDellaItalia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@BellaDellaItalia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellaDellaItalia)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-harry-be-short-for/227130/49 "2004-02-05T00:17:22Z")
Harley!! Name your baby Harley!! PLEASE??? I’ll name my kids Levi and Wilson and someone else can name thier kid Suave Hair Gel!! Come on now! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-harry-be-short-for/227130/50 "2004-02-05T01:12:06Z")
Before you do this, make sure that Harry goes with the last name and that there are no variations that will cause the kid misery. I had a childhood friend named Harry Crouch. You can just imagine… ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2004, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-harry-be-short-for/227130/51 "2004-02-05T02:49:57Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > How about Hieronymus, as in Hieronymus Bosch, the artist? People would admire you for your literate choice of name! You child might seek to have you hanged, but it would still be worth it. Oh, but then everybody would just call him “Jerome” (the English equivalent of Hieronymus). My father is named Harry–just plain “Harry.” It’s been a traditional name in our family, passed down from his maternal grandfather (also just plain Harry). I don’t know if one of my ancestors was named Harold or whatever, but my dad seems to have held up pretty well with just Harry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-harry-be-short-for/227130.md?page=2)