Aragog- "Ara" comes from "arachnid", which is the class spiders belong to. "Gog" was a legendary giant. Together, "giant arachnid".

B

Bagman, Ludovic (Ludo)- "Ludo" is Latin for "to play, sport", but can also mean "to delude" or "to deceive". However, "Ludovic" could be an abbreviated form of "victor ludorum", which means "winner of the games", and reflects his days back playing with the Wimbourne Wasps. A "bagman" collects money for illegal gambling businesses and loan sharks. This goes way back to the early gangster/mob crime days in the United States. The bagman either collected the weekly bribe money from businessmen who were being "protected" (meaning exploited) by the big local crime boss; or he collected the profits from local illegal gambling establishments and delivered them to boss headquarters; or in some instances he was the person who held on to stolen goods until they could be disposed of, hence the phrase "he was left holding the bag" means someone who was caught doing something wrong while his cohorts escaped scot-free.

Bane- "Bane" comes from the Anglo-Saxon "bana", which means "murderer". Hence ratsbane, henbane, etc, which are deadly poisons. It can also mean "to poison" or "to harm". (Thanks to Amanda on HP4GU) However, Simon suggests another definition. A bane can be a prelude of a play, which fits in a little better with his stargazing, divinatory nature.

C

Clearwater, Penelope- This is kind of a stretch, but Penelope was the wife of Odysseus, and their home in Ithaca was mentioned as being close to a place called "Clearwater".

Crabbe, Vincent- If you switch the first letters of Crabbe and Goyle, you get "grab" and "coil", which is what a snake does to its prey. However, Crabbe could have been named along the same lines as McGonagall: after a poet. British poet George Crabbe is known for the two poems "The Village" and "His Mother's Wedding Ring".

Chang, Cho- "Cho" is Japanese for "very, extremely". "Chang", when used as a first name, can signify a person that is quick thinking and to the point. Therefore Cho Chang is "very quick thinking", quite appropriate for a Ravenclaw.

D

Dumbledore, Albus- "Albus" means "white" in Latin. "Dumbledore" is an English word for "bumblebee". J.K. Rowling says that it "seemed to suit the headmaster, because one of his passions is music and I imagined him walking around humming to himself."

Dursley, Dudley- "Dudley" is a play on "dud", which is British slang for "a boring person". Dursley is a small town in Britain.

Dobby- A "Dobby" is an alternate name for a Brownie in parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire.

Dursley, Petunia Evans- Both Petunia and her sister, Lily, are named after flowers. The petunia symbolizes anger and resentment. Compare with the lily, which symbolizes purity and innocence. "Dursley" is a small town in Britain.

Delacour, Fleur- Her name separates into "Fleur De La Cour", which means in French "Flower of the Court", or noblewoman.

E- None

F

Filch, Argus- "Argus" is a hundred-eyed giant (also called Panoptes, Greek for "the all-seeing") employed by Hera to guard Io, one of Zeus' lovers turned into a cow. He was lulled to sleep, and then killed by Hermes (Greek mythology). 

Firenze- Firenze is the Italian name for Florence, Italy. Galileo Galilei was buried in Firenze, and arguably the greatest astronomer who ever lived. This seems fairly appropriate for a stargazing centaur.

Fawkes- Guy Fawkes (1570-1606) was English conspirator. He became implicated with Thomas Winter and others in the Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament as a protest against the anti-Roman Catholic laws. On the night of November 4-5, 1605, he was caught in a cellar underneath the House of Lords and arrested. Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated on November 5 in the United Kingdom and some other parts of the British Commonwealth with bonfires and fireworks. A celebration with bonfires is rather appropriate for a Phoenix, who burns up every few hundred years.

Flint, Marcus- Like Oliver Wood, Flint's last name is a raw material. Captain Flint is an evil ship captain from "Treasure Island".

Flitwick (Professor)- "Flitwick" is a city near London.

Fudge, Cornelius- There was a pope named Saint Cornelius, whose reign was marked by the controversy over the lapsed (those under persecution who had renounced Christianity). Cornelius's leniency toward the lapsed drew the support of the bishop of Carthage, St. Cyprian, but aroused the opposition of the Roman priest Novatian. He was exiled, and then martyred in 253, where he was succeeded by bishop Saint Lucius.

Nicholas Flamel, inventor of the Philosophers stone, was a real person who lived in the 1700's.He learned of the philosophers stone through a Jewish priest or something and learned from there. Not only did the PS turn any metal to gold but it did make the elixir of life. When Flamel eventually died at 95 years old he was buried in his tomb but one year they checked the tomb and it was empty. No bones nothing. People to this day do not know if he is dead or alive.

Also "Flamel was a famous character of his time, an official of the university reputed to be an alchemist. People thought he had got the gold to buy this mansion from finding the philosopher's stone-but really he married a rich widow." "The Matter of the Great-Work, mixed with a liquid, liquefied, constituted the Elixir, the celebrated Elixir of long life which was to produce marvelous results. This is mentioned in all the pamphlets of the time; it aroused as much interest as the Philosopher's Stone itself; and legend relates that Nicholas Flamel and his wife Pernella, having drunk it, went to live for ever on an enchanted isle." Nicholas Flamel was (is?) a famous Alchemist. He and his wife Perrenelle supposedly worked out how to create the Philosopher's Stone from a book he came into possession of. What is known with certainty is that despite having a mundane job as a bookseller, he suddenly became very rich, giving away lots of gold to found orphanages (many of which still exist today) and help the poor and needy. Legend says that he and his wife faked their deaths, and remain forever young to this day.

G

Goyle, Gregory- If you switch the first letters of Crabbe and Goyle, you get "grab" and "coil", which is what a snake does to its prey. Also, "Greg Goyle" sounds similar to gargoyle, which is ferocious-looking stone guardians of castles and cathedrals, similar to how Goyle is one of Malfoy's bodyguards.

H

Hedwig A 12th century German saint. She was very pious, noble, virtuous, good to the poor (to whom she gave most of her money), served the lepers, who lived a life of austerity even after she married the ruler of Silesia and Poland (Henry the Bearded). She entered a convent one she had founded at Trebnitz) after the death of her husband. A cathedral was built to Saint Hedwig in Germany in the mid-1700.

Hermes- Hermes was the Greek messenger god, as well as the god of shepherds, land travel, merchants, weights and measures, oratory, literature, athletics and thieves, and known for his cunning and shrewdness. It was his duty to guide the souls of the dead down to the underworld. He was also closely connected with bringing dreams to mortals.

Hagrid, Rubeus- Ms. Rowling says that if you were "Hagrid" in old English you were having a bad night. She says that Hagrid is a big drinker and often has his own bad nights. "Rubeus" can mean "red" or "jewel". I'm not sure of its accuracy, but it can also mean harsh, alarming, or scary.

Harry James Potter- J.K. had a best friend as a child named Ian Potter. The reason for the name "Harry" is that it has always been J.K.'s favorite boys name. She says if she had had a son, she would have called him Harry. This made it a natural choice for her. She also said if she HAD had a son called Harry, our favorite wizarding child would have been renamed to protect her child's privacy.

I- None

J- None

K

Karkaroff, Igor- This was probably taken from "Frankenstein". Igor is the name of Dr. Frankenstein's assistant, and Boris Karloff (which is similar to "Karkaroff") is the actor who plays the monster.

Krum, Viktor- "Viktor" is phonetically the same as "victor", and he defeated Lynch in terms of catching the snitch. Krumm" is a German adjective used in phrases such as "dont slouch" and "sit up straight", and literally means "crooked" or "bent".

L

Lockhart, Gilderoy- "Gilderoy" was the name of a famous highwayman of ballad fame who was reputedly handsome. "Lockhart" is an Australian town near Wagga Wagga. "Wagga Wagga Werewolf" There's also a Lockhart, Texas!) Another odd parallel that I came up with was to John Gibson Lockhart, a Scottish lawyer and writer, most famous for the authoritative seven-volume biography of his father-in-law, the novelist Sir Walter Scott. Ok, so it's not self-glorifying, but Gilderoy Lockhart had 7 books on the students' reading list (this does not include Magical Me or the Guide to Household Pests).

M

Malfoy, Draco- "Draco" means "dragon" in Latin. Also, Draco was the name of a cruel Athenian lawmaker. His harsh legal code punished both trivial and serious crimes with death. From this we get our expression "draconian laws", meaning unnecessarily harsh laws. "Mal foi" means "bad faith" in French.

McGonagall, Minerva- Minerva is the Roman goddess of wisdom, medicine, the arts, dyeing, science and trade, and war. As Minerva Medica she is the patroness of physicians. Minerva is believed to be the inventor of numbers and musical instruments. She was equated with the Greek Athena. "McGonagall" is named after William Topaz McGonagall, widely held as the worst poet in the English language (How does that fit in?)

Malfoy, Lucius- The name "Lucius" might be a nod to "Lucifer", the devil. More likely, however, is the connection with Saint Lucius, who succeeded Saint Cornelius as pope. Will Lucius Malfoy become the next Minister of Magic? Only time will tell. Another interesting connection is that both Draco and Lucius (another Lucius, not the pope!) were overly harsh Roman lawmakers.

Moaning Myrtle- The Myrtle plants are a kind of tree. They are often called Crepe Myrtle because their flowers are wrinkled like crepe paper. There is one species of it, Eugenia Ventenatii, or Weeping Myrtle, called so because its branches hang so much. Moaning Myrtle is simply a play on words, paralleling "weeping willow."

Mr. Mason- A mason is someone who builds using stone or brick, and Mr. Mason was described as a "rich builder".

Mrs. Norris- Mrs. Norris was named after a nosy preacher's wife in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park.

Malfoy, Narcissa- Narcissus was the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. Tiresias, the seer, told his parents that the child "would live to an old age if it did not look at itself." Many nymphs and girls fell in love with him but he rejected them. The goddess Nemesis heard the rejected girls prayers for vengeance and arranged for Narcissus to fall in love with his own reflection. He stayed watching his reflection and let himself die. This gives the origin of the narcissus flower, which grew where he died.

Maxime, Madame Olympe- "Olympian" can mean "surpassing all others in scope". Mount Olympus is the largest mountain in Greece, and supposedly the home of the gods. "Maxima" is Latin for "greatest". "Maxima" is Latin for "greatest". There's also a bilingual pun in her name. "Maxime" is French for "principle", and Madame Maxime is the "principal" of Beauxbatons.

Moody, Alastor - "Alastor" means "avenger". In Greek mythology, Alastor is an avenging demon, associated with blood feuds between families, and the Greek term for an avenging power that visits the sins of the fathers on their children. It is also an evil genius of a house that leads a man to commit crimes and sin. He was originally a mortal, the son of Neleus, king of Pylos. He became a (minor) demon when he and his brothers were slain by Heracles. "Alastor" was the name of a demon that executed court decrees in Hell, which is rather appropriate in comparison with Mad-Eye, since he could be seen carrying out Ministry decrees by capturing Death Eaters. "Moody" means "given to changeable moods; temperamental".

N

Nagini- According to Rita Winston, "Nagini" is the female form of "Naga"; an interesting supplement to my previous suspicion that "Nagini" could be based on "Naga". The "Naga" are a group of half-human and half-snake deities that live in Malaysia and India. They had the power to turn humans invisible in water and would often marry mortals. Vishnu slept on a Naga when creating the world and it was said that the Nagas would ultimately destroy the world with fire.

O- None

P

Patil, Parvati- There's a Hindu mountain-goddess named Parvati. She is the sister of the goddess of the Ganges River, Padma. "Patel" is a fairly common Indian last name.

Pomfrey, Poppy- The poppy is one of the oldest medicinal plants.

Potter, Lily Evans- Both Lily and her sister, Petunia, are named after flowers. The lily symbolizes purity and innocence. Compare with the petunia, which symbolizes anger and resentment.

Padfoot- The padfoot is supposed to be similar to a werewolf. It's a giant, black, wolf-dog that lived mostly in the southeast areas of England.

Pettigrew, Peter- His last name breaks up into "Pet-I-Grew", referring to the time lived as Ron and Percy's pet.

Prang, Ernie- "Prang" means "to crash into" and that fits Ernie, the driver of the Knight Bus rather well.

Q

Quirrel (Professor)- "Quirrel" is just one letter away from being "squirrel", and both share a twitchy and nervous sort of persona. Also, a "quarrel" is a possible connection.

R

Riddle, Tom Marvolo- Tom Marvolo Riddle is an anagram of "I am Lord Voldemort". You didn't think Jo could get away with naming a guy "Riddle" without there being something fishy going on!

Ronan- The name "Ronan" could have been derived from the Norse word for "secret, hidden knowledge".

Rosmerta, Madam- "Rosmerta" is a Gaulish goddess and whose Celtic name means 'Abundant Provider', which is pretty accurate for the hostess of a bar/restaurant.

S

Salazar Slytherin- Antonio Salazar was the fascist dictator of Portugal for 36 years until his death in 1968. Though never officially an ethnic cleanser, he was a colonialist, who ruthlessly put down ethnic uprisings his country's colonies in Africa. His name is perhaps used as a reference to the dictators past, such as Hitler, who believed in ethnic purity, just as Slytherin did. "Slytherin" is basically "slithering" minus the "g", and the snake is the symbol for Slytherin house. He himself is nicknamed "Serpent-Tongue" after his parselmouth abilities. So you see? It all connects.

Snape, Severus- "Severus" is Latin for "stern" or "harsh". There was a Roman emperor named Lucius Severus. Supposedly, Jo made the Potions master the "enemy" because she didn't like a Chemistry teacher she once had. "Snape" is a small town Jo once visited. To snape someone means to rebuke or hurt them, and a snape is a rebuke. It's an almost obsolete English dialectical word from the Norse, if anyone cares.

Shunpike, Stan- A "shunpike" is a side road used to avoid the toll on or the speed and traffic of a superhighway.

Skeeter, Rita- Her title, Miss Skeeter, sounds an awful lot like "mosquito", which also happen to be bloodsucking little insect pests that go out of their way to make us suffer.

T

Trelawney, Sibyl- "Sibyl", in Greek and Roman mythology, was any woman inspired with prophetic power by the god Apollo. The sibyls lived in caves or near streams and prophesied in a frenzied trance, usually in Greek hexameters, which were handed down in writing. Prophesizing in a trance? Sounds like Trelawney!

U- None

V

Voldemort is derived from the little well known evil wizard named Voldermortist, in another language; Voldermortist means "Lord of Evil" or in the simple form of Voldemort means "Dark Lord". The legend is that Voldermortist once tried to destroy Merlin before the time of King Arthur, by bewitching good people, and simply bribing those who already were evil. Legend has it that Merlin destroyed Voldermortist by using a simple paralyzing charm (full body bind in the case of Harry Potter), fed him to the many headed beast (translated as Fluffy, in the book) of the lake, the Lady of the Lake's pet, freed the bewitched people, and destroyed the evil men. That was maybe twelve, thirteen years before Arthur. 

Vol De Mort means death of a body in French. "Vole de mort" means "flight of Death" or "flight from death", with some hint of also meaning "theft of death".

Also A famous pun on the French word 'vol' was when Napoleon confiscated the estates of surviving nobles of the pre-Revolutionary regime. One of the guys whose estate was confiscated said: "C'est le premier vol de l'aigle', which normally means 'it is the first flight of the eagle' but in this case 'vol' was to be understood as 'theft'. The "Vol" could be connected to the Latinate "volo" (to wish), meaning "wish of death" or "Death wish".

W

Weasley, Arthur- Arthur is a possible reference to King Arthur. 'There are two versions of the events that led to Arthur's death. Both say he fought a war against Roman emperor Lucius.

Weasley, Percy- Percival" was a name reserved only for the upper class of Britain in the days of the Monarchy. Later, the British commoners were allowed to use a version of this name (previously, they would have been punished). This variant was "Percy"; Percival itself still off-limits. By being named "Percy", the name plays off our Percy's family roots as a "poor commoner".

Weasley, Ron- in another language is called "Running Weasel." Running Weasel was a warlord in the 6th Dynasty. He was a brilliant strategist, and he never lost a game of chess (and neither does Ron!). Unfortunately, he died when a rat that had been dyed yellow by his soldiers for fun earlier that day, knocked over a lamp in his palace, burning it to the ground, and killing Running Weasel.

X- None

Y- None

Z- None

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