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Help[Opinions] Hermione?
This has got to be one of the all time cliches of BtN, but I've got Hermione on the brain. It's a really nice name - interesting but classic. Unfortunately, I don't hate HP but I'm not a huge fan, and I do find the association a huge negative point - what do you think? Do you think it's a trivial point or do you think it makes the name less usable too? Do you think that the HP association will eventually die down, or do you think it's stuck like that? And do you think that staring down HP comments with a 'No, you plebeian fool, I got it from Shakespeare actually' would be a terribly pretentious thing to do (as I do)? Does this mean that if I want to use the oh-so-pretty Hermione one day but opt to avoid HP comments, it'll have to be regulated to middle name position? Anyway... what do you think of it?
Incidentally, I'm struggling with combos and sibsets for it, because I'm awful at those at the moment. My brain just spewed up Hermione Poppy which is definitely vivacious but not well matched and a little twee.
For sibsets I like Hermione and Violet, Hermione and Beatrice, Hermione and Penelope. For the record I thought I liked Hermione Violet and Hermione Beatrice as combos too, but I've just noticed the Io/io repetitions and He/Be repetition which isn't that nice and is really odd and distracting. Do you have any suggestions? :)
Incidentally, I'm struggling with combos and sibsets for it, because I'm awful at those at the moment. My brain just spewed up Hermione Poppy which is definitely vivacious but not well matched and a little twee.
For sibsets I like Hermione and Violet, Hermione and Beatrice, Hermione and Penelope. For the record I thought I liked Hermione Violet and Hermione Beatrice as combos too, but I've just noticed the Io/io repetitions and He/Be repetition which isn't that nice and is really odd and distracting. Do you have any suggestions? :)
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Replies
While Hermione isn't unusable, a girl named that will definitely get Harry Potter comments. It's a very strong association. JK Rowling doesn't own the name Hermione, and the HP association isn't awful, but it's still an association that may turn people off.
I think Hermione is a nice name, though I also think it's a little show-offy, mainly due to the HP connection.
I think Hermione is a nice name, though I also think it's a little show-offy, mainly due to the HP connection.
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I actually think the HP reference has helped rehabilitate Hermione as a "good" name rather than a "weird and borderline ugly" name. That Herm- at the beginning is not a real winner in terms of sounds, and the pronunciation is a bit tricky, and I think if it had remained a lesser-known literary and classical reference, meeting a Hermione would leave many people wondering what her parents were smoking to pick such an ungainly monkier. But now Hermione is a byname for wisdom, bravery and goodheartedness. What's not to like about that?? Some people have an irrational hate for HP, so you might have to give them your "plebian fool!" argument to win their respect, but otherwise I think you'd be ok. Yeah, a passing stranger might think you're Potter-crazy, but all you have to say is that it's for the Shakespeare character, and there you go. Also don't name any siblings any other names used in HP. That's the one drawback I guess, if you want to distance yourself from the books.
I like Hermione Poppy and Hermione Violet. Those both have lovely imagery to them.
You could also hype up the literary reference by looking at combos like:
Hermione Jessica (I like the understatedness of this)
Hermione Imogene
Hermione Helena
Hermione Charmian
Hermione Cordelia
Hermione Portia
Hermione Viola
Hermione Juliet
Hermione Ophelia
Hermione Nerissa
Hermione Katherina
Hermione Rosalind (my favourite I think)
I like Hermione Poppy and Hermione Violet. Those both have lovely imagery to them.
You could also hype up the literary reference by looking at combos like:
Hermione Jessica (I like the understatedness of this)
Hermione Imogene
Hermione Helena
Hermione Charmian
Hermione Cordelia
Hermione Portia
Hermione Viola
Hermione Juliet
Hermione Ophelia
Hermione Nerissa
Hermione Katherina
Hermione Rosalind (my favourite I think)
This message was edited 6/17/2011, 2:10 PM
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There is no way on earth that you could use Hermione in the near future and avoid the HP comments. Impossible. Even in the middle name spot you'd get them at the beginning when everyone is finding our your baby's name. That said, I think the middle name spot would be acceptable for now. I'm guessing it'll take a good 40-50 years to get that association to let a loose enough to start thinking about bringing Hermione back. Sorry.
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I loled greatly at the 'got it from Shakespeare actually' thing. I mean, JK Rowling is a well-respected, award-winning children's author, and the Hermione in her books - named for the Shakespeare character! - is famous for her BRAIN. It's not as if we're talking a name popularised by some cheesy hack on a heroine famous for multiple terrible porn scenes. And, as others have pointed out, there are other Hermiones about; it's not as if it's completely unheard of outside the HP books.
I like it a lot, but really don't like any of the potential short forms, which would deter me from using it. Hermione Beatrice works well for me; these do too:
Hermione Augusta
Hermione Octavia
Hermione Constance
Hermione Lucy
Hermione Clare
Hermione Amanda
Hermione Louisa
Hermione Lilac
Hermione Joan
Hermione Isabel
Hermione Julia
Hermione May
Hermione Maud
Hermione Sybil
Also... you could always go for Hermia, if you want a Shakespearean name unsullied by plebeian associations! :p
I like it a lot, but really don't like any of the potential short forms, which would deter me from using it. Hermione Beatrice works well for me; these do too:
Hermione Augusta
Hermione Octavia
Hermione Constance
Hermione Lucy
Hermione Clare
Hermione Amanda
Hermione Louisa
Hermione Lilac
Hermione Joan
Hermione Isabel
Hermione Julia
Hermione May
Hermione Maud
Hermione Sybil
Also... you could always go for Hermia, if you want a Shakespearean name unsullied by plebeian associations! :p
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It's one of my guilty pleasures. I would love to use, but my sister and my SO have both informed me that they would tease a child named Hermione and SO gave me the eyeroll when I said I liked it. Alas, little Hermione will live only in my imagination!
Harry Potter is a children's classic now, so you're going to have to deal with comments about Hermione Granger if you choose to name a daughter this gorgeous name. And yes, swatting down HP comments with the assertion that you got it from Shakespeare would be terribly pretentious. The bonus here is that Hermione Granger is a role model character for young girls. She is smart, independent, kind-hearted, and always stands by what matters to her. The name also has a lot more history to it than simply a 20th century phenomenon and you can feel free to explain that to those who ask if you named your daughter after Hermione Granger. At this point, you just have to weigh your love of name with the inevitable connections it will bring up. You can't correct everyone, and they will believe what they want, regardless of what you tell them. At the end of the day, Hermione is a lovely name and if you want to use it, go ahead.
Hermione pairs the best for me with short middle names. Hermione Ann is my favorite, as well as Hermione Jane. Some other ideas could be:
Hermione Joy
Hermione Dawn
Hermione Rain
Hermione Elaine
Hermione Elise
Harry Potter is a children's classic now, so you're going to have to deal with comments about Hermione Granger if you choose to name a daughter this gorgeous name. And yes, swatting down HP comments with the assertion that you got it from Shakespeare would be terribly pretentious. The bonus here is that Hermione Granger is a role model character for young girls. She is smart, independent, kind-hearted, and always stands by what matters to her. The name also has a lot more history to it than simply a 20th century phenomenon and you can feel free to explain that to those who ask if you named your daughter after Hermione Granger. At this point, you just have to weigh your love of name with the inevitable connections it will bring up. You can't correct everyone, and they will believe what they want, regardless of what you tell them. At the end of the day, Hermione is a lovely name and if you want to use it, go ahead.
Hermione pairs the best for me with short middle names. Hermione Ann is my favorite, as well as Hermione Jane. Some other ideas could be:
Hermione Joy
Hermione Dawn
Hermione Rain
Hermione Elaine
Hermione Elise
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It might yet be the same here... but I'm going to cling to it, cling I say!
I do agree that as fictional characters go, you can go a lot worse than Hermione Granger. She is a smart girl, and I'm terribly critical of my fellow females who don't have the brains to go with the outfit, so I can't say I hate Hermione as a character. I just never got the whole black and white moral compass of the books and as I grew older, cracks grew in the narrative for me. I guess it's because when they first came out, I was young enough to love and understand them - and then I grew up with each successive publication, and as my world view and maturity and bitterness blossomed, I became more critical of the books. I think it's pretty common with people who read HP1 when they were, like me, a similar age to it's protagonist and therefore the target audience, and then grew up and entered the real world while the books' world didn't really reflect that. I think it counts me as among the early HP fans, but the also among the people who outgrew its idealism and found themselves befuddled by the new fans as well. So I do find myself pushed away by the hype... plus, I grew up in a Shakespeare-interest household, so I heard it growing up.
Hermione Ann is pretty, but a little simple and repeats sounds in its simplicity... but it is pretty. I also like the simple prettiness (and that's how I always describe it) and retro feel of Joy, so Hermione Joy is lovely too.
I do agree that as fictional characters go, you can go a lot worse than Hermione Granger. She is a smart girl, and I'm terribly critical of my fellow females who don't have the brains to go with the outfit, so I can't say I hate Hermione as a character. I just never got the whole black and white moral compass of the books and as I grew older, cracks grew in the narrative for me. I guess it's because when they first came out, I was young enough to love and understand them - and then I grew up with each successive publication, and as my world view and maturity and bitterness blossomed, I became more critical of the books. I think it's pretty common with people who read HP1 when they were, like me, a similar age to it's protagonist and therefore the target audience, and then grew up and entered the real world while the books' world didn't really reflect that. I think it counts me as among the early HP fans, but the also among the people who outgrew its idealism and found themselves befuddled by the new fans as well. So I do find myself pushed away by the hype... plus, I grew up in a Shakespeare-interest household, so I heard it growing up.
Hermione Ann is pretty, but a little simple and repeats sounds in its simplicity... but it is pretty. I also like the simple prettiness (and that's how I always describe it) and retro feel of Joy, so Hermione Joy is lovely too.
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I like Hermione, but I love the HP so it doesn't bug me one bit that Hermione is associated with HP. However, I do think the associations are a little too HP witchy as a first name. But if you want to use it, go ahead. I would stay away from other Hp names though, like Poppy and Penelope. You'll pretty much have to stay away from all flower names there is too, because JK Rowling has used most of them. But not Violet, I think?
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http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Poppy_Pomfrey
I guess Hermione and Violet work, but I wouldn't use Violet with Hermione just because JK have already used to many flower names. I think it just creates another association with HP.
I guess Hermione and Violet work, but I wouldn't use Violet with Hermione just because JK have already used to many flower names. I think it just creates another association with HP.
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I am a huge HP nerd so I am biased but I feel like for my generation Hermione will always be associated with Hermione Granger. Its kind of hard not to, we grew up with the story (the first book came out in 1997 and the movies are just ending). And it is definitely a distinctive name. I do think if I met someone who had named their daughter Hermione just to roll their eyes at me if I asked about Harry Potter would be a bit pretentious. That being said, Hermione really isn't a bad character.
As for combos, I love Hermione Violet and Hermione Beatrice, not sure how I feel about them as sisters. Hermione is so distinctive and I feel like those two are on the rise right now (as is Penelope). How about Hermione and Leonora, Hermione and Anthea, or Hermione and Phyllida.
As for combos, I love Hermione Violet and Hermione Beatrice, not sure how I feel about them as sisters. Hermione is so distinctive and I feel like those two are on the rise right now (as is Penelope). How about Hermione and Leonora, Hermione and Anthea, or Hermione and Phyllida.
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You sum up my feelings perfectly there... but I do think that JK has a lot to answer for in choosing such a pretty name and thus condemning it to a world of marmite-love-hate associations.
My feelings about Hermione/Beatrice/Violet is that actually, now that you think of it, they've got a bit of a theme going on. I'd always liked Hermione after finding the name in Shakespeare, and Beatrice I knew beforehand and was indifferent about. Then we read Much Ado in lit, and I did love Beatrice as a character in that - it might have been how spunky and witty and sharp and harsh and amazing she was til the end, or it might have been my lit teacher singing the verses from the play with metaphorical flowers in his air and speaking the lines or picking on guys to say the lines in funny voices which made me warm to the character. And of course, I was young enough to steal Lemony Snicket's books from a sibling and like their whimsy and interesting words... and Violet is a pretty smart cookie in that too.
Sooo... three smart fictional women names there, and I never noticed!
I love Hermione and Leonora as well, by the way! Leonore/Lenore is a favourite and could be a nickname for Leonora, but Leonora is lovely in it's own right, and Hermione and Leonora looks so much prettier and sparkier than Hermione and Leonore.
My feelings about Hermione/Beatrice/Violet is that actually, now that you think of it, they've got a bit of a theme going on. I'd always liked Hermione after finding the name in Shakespeare, and Beatrice I knew beforehand and was indifferent about. Then we read Much Ado in lit, and I did love Beatrice as a character in that - it might have been how spunky and witty and sharp and harsh and amazing she was til the end, or it might have been my lit teacher singing the verses from the play with metaphorical flowers in his air and speaking the lines or picking on guys to say the lines in funny voices which made me warm to the character. And of course, I was young enough to steal Lemony Snicket's books from a sibling and like their whimsy and interesting words... and Violet is a pretty smart cookie in that too.
Sooo... three smart fictional women names there, and I never noticed!
I love Hermione and Leonora as well, by the way! Leonore/Lenore is a favourite and could be a nickname for Leonora, but Leonora is lovely in it's own right, and Hermione and Leonora looks so much prettier and sparkier than Hermione and Leonore.
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It's more common in England. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermione I believe one of these Hermiones was in Mary Poppins, and another in Gigi. Since Hermione Granger is a hero in the HP series, I don't see that as a huge negative point. Bellatrix, Lucius, and Severus on the other hand have negative conotations. (I know, Severus's story has a twist just before he died and is redeemed, but he's still a bad guy for most of the series.) If you really don't want the comments, then use it as a mn. If you love it enough to use it as a fn, go ahead.
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I think it probably is, but living in England I've only ever been indirectly linked to a Hermione by a friend of a friend so I'd still call it really rather uncommon outside of fiction.
Severus' twist was more Harry going 'Oh, you're good? Okay, bye now. Try to die quietly'...I've always favoured weird villains over annoying heros... I have no idea why. But just a comment there.
And ohhhh,apart from the geekdom, It's a proper fn love there...
Severus' twist was more Harry going 'Oh, you're good? Okay, bye now. Try to die quietly'...I've always favoured weird villains over annoying heros... I have no idea why. But just a comment there.
And ohhhh,apart from the geekdom, It's a proper fn love there...
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I think that maybe in like 10-20 years Hermione might be okay and not have the HP association as strong? I'm also thinking that Hermione might actually pick up as a name (maybe in the late top 900-1000) because of HP and fans that like the character (who will eventually have their kids in like 10 years and name them Hermione). And yeah hahah, I do think that would be a little pretentious, but I think if people ask if you got the name from HP you could just say no and that you just liked the name (adding that it was from Shakespeare).
If you really like the name, I would go for it. I really do like Hermione, but I actually like Ione better (my top name right now).
I really like those sibsets you've listed. I like Hermione and Violet as sisters with the repeated "io" and I like Hermione and Penelope as sisters with the similar endings (pronouncing the "e"). I don't think the combo Hermione Beatrice is too much for the He-/Be- combination because it's more of a Her-/Bea-... Hahaha she could go by Herbie for a nickname.
I'm not usually very good at making sibsets/combos, but tell me if you like any:
Other sibsets?:
Hermione and Florence
Hermione and Evadne
Hermione and Hortensia
Hermione and Lydia
Hermione and Perdita
Hermione and Philippa "Pippa"
Hermione and Xanthe
Combos:
Hermione Cecelia
Hermione Clover
Hermione Eliza
Hermione Portia
Hermione Victoria
Thanks for any replies :)
If you really like the name, I would go for it. I really do like Hermione, but I actually like Ione better (my top name right now).
I really like those sibsets you've listed. I like Hermione and Violet as sisters with the repeated "io" and I like Hermione and Penelope as sisters with the similar endings (pronouncing the "e"). I don't think the combo Hermione Beatrice is too much for the He-/Be- combination because it's more of a Her-/Bea-... Hahaha she could go by Herbie for a nickname.
I'm not usually very good at making sibsets/combos, but tell me if you like any:
Other sibsets?:
Hermione and Florence
Hermione and Evadne
Hermione and Hortensia
Hermione and Lydia
Hermione and Perdita
Hermione and Philippa "Pippa"
Hermione and Xanthe
Combos:
Hermione Cecelia
Hermione Clover
Hermione Eliza
Hermione Portia
Hermione Victoria
Thanks for any replies :)
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Thanks for your comments! I think they're really useful, actually, especially in the... everything! :D And it really does seem I'm being oversensitive with my suggestions, so that's good.
For sibsets I like:
Hermione and Evadne - looove! Evadne's always felt bold and sparky and witty and intelligent for me, and a good name for a dynamic girly, and if the HP connotations outlast the fad, Hermione will have that association too, which is never bad. Evadne is so pretty too.
Hermione and Lydia - Lydia's always been a staple favourite of mine, and has the same classic but interesting feel.
Hermione and Perdita - the meaning of Perdita is so negative, but it's a morbid and interesting meaning which has always intrigued me. Shakespearian too! Which is a plus. Dita is a cute nn too.
Hermione and Xanthe - these feel a little eclectic together, but like above they both have history or a classic feel and are usable today. Besides, I love them both, so it'd definitely grow on me.
For combos I like:
Hermione Cecelia - no, I love this one. Both lovely names.
Hermione Victoria - very classic and dignified sounding, and well balanced feeling too. A nice mixture of established but unusual and stately.
Thanks so much! :)
For sibsets I like:
Hermione and Evadne - looove! Evadne's always felt bold and sparky and witty and intelligent for me, and a good name for a dynamic girly, and if the HP connotations outlast the fad, Hermione will have that association too, which is never bad. Evadne is so pretty too.
Hermione and Lydia - Lydia's always been a staple favourite of mine, and has the same classic but interesting feel.
Hermione and Perdita - the meaning of Perdita is so negative, but it's a morbid and interesting meaning which has always intrigued me. Shakespearian too! Which is a plus. Dita is a cute nn too.
Hermione and Xanthe - these feel a little eclectic together, but like above they both have history or a classic feel and are usable today. Besides, I love them both, so it'd definitely grow on me.
For combos I like:
Hermione Cecelia - no, I love this one. Both lovely names.
Hermione Victoria - very classic and dignified sounding, and well balanced feeling too. A nice mixture of established but unusual and stately.
Thanks so much! :)
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