I got my class lists for school yesterday, and one of my incoming Kindergarten students shares a name (first AND last!) with one of the central characters---not the boy wizard himself, but one of the Potter parents. I have to admit, I snickered a little. I mean, how could they NOT know? I understand that Potter is a common surname, and perhaps they really liked the first name and couldn't agree on another, or perhaps they were honouring a relative. But really, the kid is going to get Harry Potter jokes just from the last name. Using the first name too just seems mean, doesn't it?
On the other hand, it IS a very common name. Maybe they didn't know? Could they really not have known? Part of me is dying to ask them if they did it on purpose, but of course it is not the child's fault either way about their name and it isn't really my business
But truly, it's like having the last name 'Claus' and choosing to name your kid 'Santa.' Why do people do that?