Harry Potter complete namelist!

  1. Ronald
    • Origin:

      Norse
    • Meaning:

      "ruler's counselor"
    • Description:

      To many people, Ronald is off playing shuffleboard with Donald, though others aren't swayed by its old man image. In the Top 10 in the late 1930s through the mid-1940s, the name later came to be strongly associated with President Reagan, along with his nicknames, Ron and Ronnie—as well as with the McDonald franchise mascot. A more youthful bearer is the likable character Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter series. In the early days of Hollywood, Ronald Colman was a dashing matinee idol.
  2. Rose
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "rose, a flower"
    • Description:

      Rose is derived from the Latin rosa, which referred to the flower. There is also evidence to suggest it was a Norman variation of the Germanic name Hrodohaidis, meaning "famous type," and also Hros, "horse". In Old English it was translated as Roese and Rohese.
  3. Rowena
    • Origin:

      Welsh
    • Meaning:

      "white spear or famous friend"
    • Description:

      A fabled storybook name via the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe (1819), which featured a heroine called Rowena of Hargottstanstede, and also a Harry Potter name, as Rowena Ravenclaw, founder of one of the Hogwarts houses.. Rowena has some old-fashioned charm, though most modern parents seem to prefer Rowen. Pronunciation, however, is NOT like Rowen with an a at the end, but with a long e and an emphasis on the middle syllable. She was on the popularity list until 1963, several years in the Top 500.
  4. Roxanne
    • Origin:

      Persian
    • Meaning:

      "dawn"
    • Description:

      Best known as the beautiful heroine to whom Cyrano de Bergerac says, "Your name is like a golden bell".
  5. Rubeus
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "of the bramble bush"
    • Description:

      Made famous by the half-giant character of Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter series, this handsome Latinate name feels like a plausible possibility for a real child too, given its similarity to Ruben and Rue.
  6. Rufus
    • Origin:

      Latin
    • Meaning:

      "red-head"
    • Description:

      Rufus is a rumpled, redheaded (it was the nickname for red-haired King William) ancient Roman name popular with saints and singers (e.g. Rufus Wainwright); now, Rufus is on the cutting edge of cool.
  7. Rabastan
    • Rodolphus
      • Scorpius
        • Origin:

          Astrological name; Latin
        • Meaning:

          "scorpion"
        • Description:

          Scorpius is the constellation that the Scorpio zodiac sign originates from. It was given its venomous name due to the constellation's resemblance to a scorpion's tail.
      • Seamus
        • Origin:

          Irish variation of James
        • Meaning:

          "supplanter"
        • Description:

          Parents who have tired of Sean are now contemplating Seamus, the Irish form of James, which has a lot more substance and verve.
      • Septima
        • Origin:

          Latin
        • Meaning:

          "seventh"
        • Description:

          Name for a seventh child, back when people had them.
      • Severus
        • Origin:

          Latin
        • Meaning:

          "stern"
        • Description:

          Though it has literary credentials--making an appearance in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and as the mean-spirited teacher Severus Snape in the Harry Potter books, most modern parents would find it too--well--severe.
      • Sirius
        • Origin:

          Latin from Greek
        • Meaning:

          "burning"
        • Description:

          Yes, it's the name of the brightest star in the sky, but can't you just hear people saying, "Are you serious?" Singer Erykah Badu used it as a middle name for son Seven.
      • Stan
        • Origin:

          Short form of Stanley
        • Meaning:

          "near the stony meadow"
        • Description:

          One of the old-school nicknames -- think Ray, Vince, Frank -- that's on the brink of coming back into style. Name him Stanislav or Constantine and he'll have a groovier long form to fall back on.
      • Stanley
        • Origin:

          English
        • Meaning:

          "near the stony clearing"
        • Description:

          Although Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire personified brute force, most Stanleys have been portrayed as meek milquetoasts. It could be a Sydney-like girls' choice.-Bette Davis once played a character named Stanley, and it was the name of President Obama's mother (named for her father)--or possibly could be revived down the line a la Walter and Arthur.
      • Susan
        • Origin:

          English diminutive of Susannah, Hebrew
        • Meaning:

          "lily"
        • Description:

          Although Susan had her heyday from the thirties to the sixties, and is now common among moms and new grandmas, and though most modern parents would prefer Susanna/Susannah, we have spotted some flickers of interest in a revival. It still retains a certain black-eyed-Susan freshness.
      • Sybill
        • Salazar
          • Sturgis
            • Ted
              • Origin:

                Diminutive of Theodore or Edward
              • Meaning:

                "gift of god; rich guard"
              • Description:

                Like Ed, Eddie and Teddy, Ted is rarely used as an independent name – in the US, at least. In the UK, Eddie ranks just outside the Top 200, Teddy ranks just outside the Top 30, and Ted is a Top 200 pick.

                With Theodore rising, Ted may have new life among parents who don't want to use the short form Theo. And TV's Ted Lasso makes it a quintessential nice guy name.