HOL Names
Shadow Gaunt
January 2019
I have always been fascinated with HOL and any online name really. How do people choose them? What are the reasons behind them? There are a lot of questions and mysteries surrounding this topic. Below are some interesting things I found while asking around HOL.
I asked three main questions:
Question 1: How did you choose your HOL name?
The answers were completely different and surprising. This was the question that mostly interested me. For starters, I chose my name because I wanted it to connect to the HP universe (hence, Gaunt), but I also wanted some "creative name" for my first name. I also wanted a gender-ambiguous name, which is a very big reason I chose 'Shadow.'
As for other people on HOL, there was such a variety of answers. Many wanted to connect their name to their real life name. Some used shortened version of their names (or nicknames) in real life. Others created names that matched their initials. A significant number based theirs on a book or a character they liked, using it as inspiration. For instance Gail Allen "..came up with [her name] because [she] had been watching a fair bit of Outlander at the time and so was quite intrigued with names that sounded even a little bit fitting to that part of the world. 'Gail' seemed to fit that bill."
Several people wanted Scottish or British last names. This is somewhat unsurprising as the Harry Potter series is British. However, it was nice seeing people wanted to pay tribute to the series.
One of the most interesting stories I heard was from Limine Snidget. She was Ashley Margaret for her student years at HOL. When she became a professor, however, Prof. Kyrie Adderholt suggested the name 'Limine' after some legal term. Her last name came from her wonderful Seeking skills. But, one of the best reasons for her name is that it "sounds kinda like Lemony Snicket so that's fun."
Question 2: If you could change your HOL name, would you change it?
My personal answer is that perhaps if I went back in time, I would definitely change it. But right now, my name is part of my identity and I wouldn't want to change it.
The answer for this question was unanimous: NO. Reasons included that "[they] chose [their] name carefully" and "[their] name is [them] now."
Question 3: Are there any HOL names that you like?
Most people answered with "unique" or "original" names. Some favourites were 'Xander Xavier,' and 'Arianna Stonewater' for "the image that the name invokes." Most people in fact have "never thought about this question before" and thus probably just haven't found your wonderful, creative name!
I have always been fascinated with HOL and any online name really. How do people choose them? What are the reasons behind them? There are a lot of questions and mysteries surrounding this topic. Below are some interesting things I found while asking around HOL.
I asked three main questions:
Question 1: How did you choose your HOL name?
The answers were completely different and surprising. This was the question that mostly interested me. For starters, I chose my name because I wanted it to connect to the HP universe (hence, Gaunt), but I also wanted some "creative name" for my first name. I also wanted a gender-ambiguous name, which is a very big reason I chose 'Shadow.'
As for other people on HOL, there was such a variety of answers. Many wanted to connect their name to their real life name. Some used shortened version of their names (or nicknames) in real life. Others created names that matched their initials. A significant number based theirs on a book or a character they liked, using it as inspiration. For instance Gail Allen "..came up with [her name] because [she] had been watching a fair bit of Outlander at the time and so was quite intrigued with names that sounded even a little bit fitting to that part of the world. 'Gail' seemed to fit that bill."
Several people wanted Scottish or British last names. This is somewhat unsurprising as the Harry Potter series is British. However, it was nice seeing people wanted to pay tribute to the series.
One of the most interesting stories I heard was from Limine Snidget. She was Ashley Margaret for her student years at HOL. When she became a professor, however, Prof. Kyrie Adderholt suggested the name 'Limine' after some legal term. Her last name came from her wonderful Seeking skills. But, one of the best reasons for her name is that it "sounds kinda like Lemony Snicket so that's fun."
Question 2: If you could change your HOL name, would you change it?
My personal answer is that perhaps if I went back in time, I would definitely change it. But right now, my name is part of my identity and I wouldn't want to change it.
The answer for this question was unanimous: NO. Reasons included that "[they] chose [their] name carefully" and "[their] name is [them] now."
Question 3: Are there any HOL names that you like?
Most people answered with "unique" or "original" names. Some favourites were 'Xander Xavier,' and 'Arianna Stonewater' for "the image that the name invokes." Most people in fact have "never thought about this question before" and thus probably just haven't found your wonderful, creative name!