PS/SS:CH1:MEANINGS OF NAMES, part one

I guess the most straightforward way to approach this is to list the names (people, places, etc.) and give the info about them.... (BTW, the pic is one version of the Potter family crest.)

Notes:
1] If you see a ', `, or ^ it's meant to be a French accent on the preceding letter (unless the ' is obviously being used in a possesive). I don't have a fancy keyboard and I'm not too computer savvy....
2] Hogwarts colors denote the house the person belongs/ed to (red, yellow, blue and green). Orange is for people being refered to by the wrong name, or misused words. Cyan is for wizards of unknown house or possible/unconfirmed wizards. Purple is for Muggles.

So, here we go:

Harry -- "home ruler" Update 8/22/06: according to www.dictionary.com, "har·ry tr.v. 1: To disturb or distress by or as if by repeated attacks; harass. See Synonyms at harass. 2: To raid, as in war; sack or pillage. " and "v 1: annoy continually or chronically; [syn: harass, hassle, chivy, chivvy, chevy, chevvy, beset, plague, molest, provoke] 2: make a pillaging or destructive raid on (a place), as in wartimes [syn: ravage]"
Harvey -- "battle-worthy", "strong and worthy"
Harold -- "leader of the army"
Howard -- "high warden", "heart, mind + brave, hardy", "exhalted protector", "shepard".
Vernon called Harry by these names until Petunia confirmed that the Potter boy was in fact named Harry. It's interesting that JKR would have Vernon call Harry by names of such prophetic importance!
James -- from Jacob, "holder of the heel", "supplanter", and "one who trips up another and takes his place". (We later see James magically hold Severus by the heel in OotP!) Supplanter is defined as: "n : one who wrongfully or illegally seizes and holds the place of another [syn: usurper]" (www.dictionary.com). (Now whom has James supplanted? Could it be Severus?)
Lily -- a flower that often sybolizes purity. There is a special variety of lily called "agapanthus", and we'll get to that one later....
Potter -- simply put, this surname comes from the profession of making clay pottery. We have learned from an interview with JKR that Potter was the surname of a family she remembers from her childhood, from her hometown. Update 6/15/06: According to http://phrontistery.info/p.html, "to potter" also means "to busy oneself with trifling tasks".
Petunia -- of Tupi-Guarani origin, apparently related to the obsolete French word pe'tun and Portuguese petum, both meaning "tobacco". In flower sybolism, petunias stand for anger and resentment, but can also mean "your presence soothes me". We can see she's angry and resentful of adopting Harry. However, we have yet to see fully why she's concerned that Harry will leave when he's 17, not 18, and I think he might provide her with some comfort, even if it's unrecognized or denied on her part.
Vernon -- from the French for "alder tree". Alder is often symbolic of resurrection, but it's also supposed to provide deep wisdom through visions and dreams. However, Vernon discounts and tries to avoid visions, dreams, and imagination. These things scare him, basically.
Dudley -- has two apparent backgrounds: 1] "Dudda's area" with Dudda being the nickname of of various persons who were described as "short and stout". This seems like a valid description. 2] "dode-ley" meaning a place of death, signifying "pale, death-like, mortal". Dudley is also a town/village sort of between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
Dursley -- It's the name of more than one village/town in Britain (one SE of Bath, and another SW of Gloucester). Apparently from the Old English given name Deeorsige + leeah "wood, clearing". (http://m5p.com/~pravn/hp/d-1.html) I also looked up the name Drusilla, which led me to this: Drusilla -- "Feminine pet form of the Roman family name Drusus. Apparently the name Drusus was first assumed by a Roman warrior who killed a Gallic chieftain named Drausus in single combat. Drausus possibly derives from a Celtic element meaning "strong". In Acts in the New Testament Drusilla was the wife of Felix."
(www.behindthename.com). (Yes, we'll get to Felix much later....)
Albus -- means "white" and we'll discuss this again later.
Dumbledore -- Old word for a bumblebee, from dumble "stupid, dull, slow" + dor "insect that makes a loud humming noise". (http://m5p.com/~pravn/hp/d-1.html) JKR stated that she chose the name because of how he likes to hum. I have also done some research about Soul Alchemy that connects this bee imagery to the Rosicrucian bee symbolizing the human soul.
McGonagall -- Patronymic from the name Congal, composed of the Old Celtic words for "high" and "valor", appropriate for a Gryffindor. (http://m5p.com/~pravn/hp/m-1.html) She's named after a Scotish poet, though that's not the highest of complements...his poetry is corny and poorly written.
Voldemort -- This one is really cool because there are two completely different ways to define it, and both make perfect sense for the character: 1] French phrase meaning literally "flight from death" or "flight of death". This makes sense because his own death is what Voldemort fears most. Okay, so voler also means "to steal", and we know he has no qualms about taking someone else's life.... 2] More digging around led me to a new perspective on this name. Volde could also be traced back to wolds, linking him to the Yorkshire wolds or the Cotswolds. Mort is also etymologically related to the M. English more, meaning "moor, marsh, or fen". Ok, so not only does his name tell us he's afraid to die but it also suggests he's from the fens (probably around Yorkshire), just like another famous Slytherin, it's namesake and his ancestor Salazar! Wow, talk about foreshadowing for CoS....

Ok, I want to get this post out there before I mess up and lose much of what I've typed (again), so there will be a part two to the chapter one name meanings.