STUDENTS

Hermione Granger - The name Hermione means "eloquence," something that surely does not relate to her personality or character traits. However, her mythological counterpart is Hermione, daughter of Helen and Menelaus. Greek stories about Hermione usually concern her superior intellect and how it makes her disliked at times, something that happens to Hermione Granger often.
Draco Malfoy - Draco's first name is the Latin word for both "dragon" and "serpent." Both of these creatures remind us of Draco's slyness and tendency to "slither" around, committing hateful deeds. In ancient Greek days, Draco was a cruel Athenian lawmaker. That's how we get the expression "draconian laws", meaning unnecessarily harsh laws. Also, 'Mal foi' means 'bad faith' in French.
Parvati Patil - Parvati is a Hindu goddess.
Harry Potter - Not a lot of thought seems to have gone into Harry's name, but there are still definite references to his life hidden in it. The name "Harry" is extremely common in Britain, hinting at his pauper status while living with the Dursleys. Furthermore, the surname "Potter" may have relativity to the biblical term "potter's field," a place where unknown persons were buried. J.K. Rowling has said on several occasions that Harry is her favourite name for a boy, and if she had a son that would be his name.
Ron Weasley - Popular mythologist Charles Hart did some digging through ancient Scottish folklore and discovered a very interesting bit of information that Rowling may have had in mind when naming Ron. A rather obscure legend says that ancient warlord Running Weasel was an extremely talented chess player (like Ron) and died of an accident involving a rat that had been dyed yellow - something that Ron attempts in Book 1. NOTE: The surname "Weasley" does not seem to have any reference to the word "weasel" besides its spelling and similar sound. It does not imply that the Weasley family members look or act like weasels. The connection is only in word and spelling and does not prove any personality connections to the family.
Oliver Wood - The last name "Wood" sounds a lot like "wad," which means "crazed" or "mad" - likewise, Oliver is extremely passionate about Quidditch and very eccentric, as well.
Cho Chang - "Cho" means intelligent and "Chang" means very, string them together and you get "very intelligent"! (or intelligent very…). Also, Cho is in Ravenclaw, where "those of wit and learning will always find their kind".


HOGWARTS PROFESSORS

Albus Dumbledore - "Dumbledore" means bumblebee...like a bumblebee, he is hardworking and helpful. JKR says that it "seemed to suit the headmaster, because one of his passions is music and I imagined him walking around humming to himself." The Headmaster's first name, Albus can be directly translated from the Latin word "albus" meaning "white, bright, clear, shining" or any variation thereof. This represents Dumbledore's benevolent force and his powerful light magic, as white is the color of purity and good, in general. He is very reminiscent of the Greek god Zeus, who as supreme leader rules over the sky and other gods. In the same way, Dumbledore rules over Hogwarts and its teachers and students. Albus also means "white" in Latin. Maybe because he has a white beard? Or maybe "white" means that he's a white wizard, in other words, a good wizard.
Argus Filch - The Hogwarts caretaker has a mythological familiar: the Greek Argus. Argus had a hundred eyes, intended for watching over the castles and towers of the gods. Indeed, Filch's job is to watch over Hogwarts and walk the corridors at night, serving as a dutiful watchman.
Filius Flitwick - Filius is Latin for "unnoticeable;" Flitwick is a town in England.
Rubeus Hagrid - Hagrid is much like a rebus puzzle, or so his first name suggests, and his last name tells us of his "haggardly" traits.
Gilderoy Lockhart - Lockhart is Harry's second DADA teacher at Hogwarts. His first name makes us think of the adjective "gilded" - something that is gilded has been coated with gold to appear prettier than it really is, much like the way Lockhart covers his crime of stealing and plagiarism with his good looks. Lockhart is an Australian town near Wagga Wagga -- remember, Lockhart defeated a werewolf? "Composed a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf"
Remus Lupin - Both Lupin's first and last names tell us of his wolf-like qualities - being able to transform into a werewolf at the full moon. Remus is taken from the fabled Roman brothers Remus and Romulus, who were raised by wolves (Romulus later killed Remus and went on to build the Italian City of Rome). Lupin is the Latin word for "wolf."
Minerva McGonagall - Minerva (in Roman mythology) was the goddess of wisdom and battle and is often considered to be of reason and purity. All of these things have obvious connections to Professor McGonagall, such as her obvious wisdom and fairness among students.
Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody - The name Alastor is derived from "Alexander," which means "defender of mankind." Likewise, Moody "defends" the wizard population as an Auror who seeks out Death Eaters to kill or turn in to the MOM. The nickname "Mad-Eye" is, of course, in reference to Moody's magical eye.
Severus Snape - The Potions master's name tells us of his personality exactly. "Severus" makes note of Snape's severity or severe tendencies. "Snape" is a reference to "snake" or "serpent," of which Snape rather resembles, as well as the serpent being the symbol of Snape's house, Slytherin. Snape is also a town in Britain that J.K. Rowling used to visit often.
Sprout - A rather humorous connection is made between Professor Sprout's name and her position at Hogwarts. She is the Herbology teacher, and "sprout" is a word often associated with the plants that she teaches her students about.
Sybill Trelawny - Professor Trelawny's first name means "oracle" or "fortuneteller," hinting at her position at Hogwarts as Divination teacher.
Quirrel - The word "quirrel" suggests this teacher's quarrelsome behavior, the way he seems loyal to Hogwarts but is really a Voldemort supporter (as well as his host body in Book 1). "Quirrel" also sounds a lot like "squirrel," and the professor's stutter and gestures seem very squirrel-like.
Dolores Umbridge - "Dolores" is the plural form of pain or sorrow in Spanish (and I thought that I was never gonna use Spanish in real life). But I think that the pain definition fits her more since she's such a pain in the ass! Someone also pointed out that 'umbrage' (which sounds very similar to 'Umbridge') means displeasure or resentment and since Umbridge is so critical of Hogwarts and wants to change everything about it (even the teachers), it works.


OTHER CHARACTERS

Sirius Black - "Sirius" is a constellation that is often referred to as the "Dog Star." Hence, Sirius Black is named such for his Animagus form of a black dog.
Fleur Delacour - Fleur's entire name (first and last) means "flower of the court" in French.
Lucius Malfoy - "Lucius" sounds a lot like Lucifer, another name for Satan. The name Malfoy comes from the Latin maleficus, meaning "evil-doer" (other derivative words include "malicious" and "maleficent"). Each of these words tell us quite plainly of the Malfoy's tendency to come across as "evil."
Narcissa Malfoy - Mrs. Malfoy was named for a Greek myth. Narcissus was a man who fell in love with himself after gazing at his reflection so often. When he was admiring himself in a pool one day, he pined away and died.
Tom Riddle - An excerpt from 'Exploring Harry Potter' by Elizabeth D. Schafer says: "Riddle, true to his name, creates more questions than answers, and plays the role of the Riddler to Harry's heroic Batman." Also, Tom's full name (Tom Marvolo Riddle), as seen in Book II, can be rearranged to spell the phrase "I Am Lord Voldemort."
Rita Skeeter - The word "skeeter" bears relation to the words "scamper," "scatter," and "creep," verbs that pertain to beetles, of which Rita can transform into at will.
Lord Voldemort - "Voldemort" is French for "flight of death." Other ideas are the root "mort" which is included in such words as "mort" (death), "mortify" (to punish), and "mortuary" (a place of burial).
Bellatrix Lestrange - Sirius' cousin; someone said that "Bellatrix" means "The Female Warrior" in Latin. 'Bellatrix' is just the female form of 'Bellator' which carries a more 'neutral' meaning and simply means 'someone who makes war/fights'. Well, she is in a way a warrior, I guess since she's so strong, knows so much magic, and she does put up a good fight. And she is someone who makes war since she's on Voldemort's side. Kat says that Bellatrix is also a star, it's the 22nd brightest in the sky. Do you realise most of the Black family members are named after stars? Draco, Sirius, Bellatrix, Regulus, Andromeda… Percy Ignatius Weasley - Dunno about Percy's first name, except that Dumbledore's middle name is "Percival", which is similar to Percy. But his middle name, Ignatius, happened to be a martyred bishop who protected his people against persecutions and was thrown to the lions by the emperor. Could this mean that Percy will turn good (unlike in the 5th book)? The feast of St. Ignatius is on February 1st. Do they celebrate this in the UK or something, cuz I don't think we celebrate it here in New Zealand?
Andromeda Black - She's Tonks' mom, but she is named after the Andromeda constellation, which contains the Andromeda Galaxy, the closest one near us.
Regulus Black - He's Sirius' brother. Regulus is the name of the brightest star in the constellation Leo. How come JKR keeps naming people after star constellations? Does that mean something?
Stan Shunpike - In a book called, "An Interview with J.K. Rowling", it says that Stan Shunpike is named after her grandfather, Stanley.
Ernie Prang - In a book called, "An Interview with J.K. Rowling", it says that Ernie Prang is named after her grandfather, Ernie.
Hippocrates Smethwyck - He was the doctor, sorry, healer in charge of Mr. Weasley. Well, Hippocrates was a Greek doctor that is considered the Father of Medicine.


MISCELLANEOUS

Fawkes - Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet phoenix, is named for Guy Fawkes, the leader of a famous attempt to blow up the English Parliament building in 1605 (often called "The Gunpowder Plot").
Firenze - This centaur's name is the Italian word for the city of Florence.
Hedwig - Hedwig was a German saint who lived in the 12th or 13th century. She delivered messages to townspeople.
Hermes - Hermes was a messenger for the gods in Greek mythology.
Peeves - The meaning of Peeves' name is very obvious - to "peeve" is to annoy or irritate. Hence, Peeves is always causing trouble and wreaking havoc in Hogwarts.
Ronan - Ronan was an Irish saint. Interestingly, Ronan the centaur has red hair!
Aragog - The scientific name for a spider is ARAneae, which happens to be the first three letters of Aragog's name. Since Aragog is a spider, that makes perfect sense!
Azkaban - This is really doesn't explain the meaning of Azkaban, but it's pretty interesting. It said on another website that Azkaban and Alcatraz are both similar because they're both prisons on islands, and they're both 3-syllable words that sound the same. Alcatraz is a famous prison off the California coast that used to jail members of the Mob, but is now closed. Today, you can tour it though, that is if you're crazy enough to.
Beauxbatons - "Beaux-Baton" - "Beautiful Stick" in French!
Mirror of Erised - This doesn't really explain how it got it's name, but, "erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi" if you read the inscription backwards it's "I show not your face but your heart's desire" Neat huh?
Veritaserum - In the fourth book, it was the potion that Snape threatened to use on Harry and Dumbledore also gave the potion to Mr. Crouch's son at the end. Well, "Verity" means truth and "serum" means fluid. So Veritaserum is a fluid that makes people tell the truth. You get it? Someone said that the word may come from "sérum de vérité", which in French means a potion that forces people to tell the truth.


Charms/Spells

Accio - Comes from the Latin word 'accire' which means 'to let come' or 'to fetch'. Used to force an object to come to you.
Avada Kedavra - Arabic for 'let the things be destroyed', led to the saying of Abra Kadabra. It's one of the deadliest curse known, causes the instant death of a living thing. It was the curse used by Voldemort to kill Harry's parents.
Expecto Patronum - It comes from the Latin word, "expectare", which means 'to expect' or 'to hope for', and 'patronus' in Latin means guardian. So it literally means "expect a guardian!"
Expelliarmus - 'expel' means to force out, and 'armus' means arms or weapons. This curse forces the wand out of someone else's hands.
Fidelius Charm - Comes from the Latin word, "fidelus", which means faithful and trustworthy. This spell is used to place a secret in another trusted person.
Lumos - 'light' in Latin. Used to ignite fire at the tip of one's wand to provide light. Counter-charm of Nox.
Nox - 'night' in Latin. Used to extinguish fire at the tip of one's wand. Counter-charm of Lumos.
Occlumency - "Occlude" means to block, close, or shut and 'mens' means 'mind' in Latin. Since you use to spell 'to block your mind' so that no one can enter it.
Prior Incantatem - 'prior' means prior or previous in Latin, and 'incantatem' means spell in Latin, which makes sense because it's used to reveal the previous spell cast by a wand.
Protean Charm - It was the spell used by Hermione to bewitch the fake galleon coins to change the numbers inscribed on it to the date of the next D.A. meeting. Well, in Greek Mythology, Poseidon had a servant named Proteus who had the ability to change his form or appearance at will! The charm causes the date on the galleon to change and so can this sea god, Proteus!
Sonorus - To have a sonorous voice is to have a voice that is powerful, impressive, full, and rich in quality. Although sonorus and sonorous are spelt differently, they mean the same thing. The 'Sonorus' charm is used to amplify one's voice.