With the fans of the series growing up, there has been a marked increase in the number of children being named after characters from the Harry Potter franchise.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, "Hermione" has grown in popularity since the release of he films. While no babies were reported in the US to be given this name in 2000, according to baby name website Nameberry, 91 Hermiones were born in 2020 as per data from the Social Security Administration. Given that the name Hermione is uncommon and is primarily associated with Hermione Granger from the best-selling book series, it is safe to say that a majority of parents who named their daughters this did so in tribute to the smart and brave witch. Similarly, the name "Luna" experienced a resurgence in the US, with 7770 babies being named Luna in 2020 compared to the mere 144 in 2000.

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This upward trend is not limited to the heroes of Harry Potter, however. Many villains were also given love by many new parents. Draco Malfoy had 101 babies named after him in 2020, a clear increase from the 15 children named "Draco" in 2000. Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldermort's most dangerous and loyal followers, also received similar treatment with 21 Bellatrixes being born in 2020, a stark departure from 2000 where no children were reported to be given the name.

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It is not a new practice for parents to name their children after their favourite shows, films or books, and Harry Potter is certainly no exception. With Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone first being published in 1997, the then middle school-aged fans of the series, who relied on their parents to take them to book signings and movie premieres, have now become parents themselves.

It is evident that the Harry Potter franchise continues to thrive despite the fact that the last film in the series was released over 10 years ago. In fact, a TV reunion of the cast and crew from the Harry Potter movies, Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, was released on HBO Max on Jan. 1.  Although author J.K. Rowling did not participate in the reunion, she did appear in the special through the use of archival footage. It was reported that Rowling declined the invitation to join and, while it was previously speculated that this was due to the number of controversies surrounding the author, her team confirmed that this was not the case.

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Source: Wall Street Journal