DISCUSSION: WHAT'S IN A NAME?

[slytherincesss.livejournal.com]

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

J.K. Rowling originally planned to name Draco Malfoy either "Draco Spinks" or "Draco Spungen" before settling on Malfoy as Draco's surname. Now Draco is absolutely one of my most treasured and favorite characters in the Harry Potter series, and I love nothing more than to write fan fic from Draco's point-of-view. Those of us who love Draco tend to find him at least a little deeper than canon portrays him, sometimes redeemable, sometimes sympathetic, and almost all the time sexy and smokin' hot.

Would the same hold true if Draco were Draco Spinks or Draco Spungen? Personally -- and man I hate to admit this -- I'm not so sure I would hold the same ferocious love for Draco if he had a really dorky name as I do when I think of Draco Malfoy. Draco Malfoy is such a cool name and I think it helps to color my view of him and to open the possibility of his redemption (or not, depending on the story) -- Draco Malfoy is the bad boy we all desperately want to see change.

What do you think?

Would Draco Spinks or Draco Spungen be hot enough for our Harry? Or would he be another stereotypical Slytherin, with a funny name, a bad countenance, and a cruel streak that would be more difficult to overlook than if he were a Malfoy?

Please discuss! Or just share your opinion.

Who wins? Malfoy or Spinks/Spungen?

Would he be hot or not?

Comments

[celestlyn.livejournal.com]

However, the Weasley's did tend to use a lot of Muggle names. Perhaps the Purebloods used more unusual sounding names. Most of the students had Muggley names. But the older ones had names like Lucius, Mundungus, Alistair Moody, Albus Dumbledore...etc.

[k8sfic.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about names a lot lately, as I'm writing an AU Fenrir/Harry fic for a fest, where Fenrir made a couple of major different choices in his life. Where did he get the name Fenrir Greyback? Did he choose it? How does it add to his mystique and reputation? I have a hard time imagining Wizarding society being scared of a werewolf named like some of the other characters (Aberforth, Vernon, Neville).

[vaysh]

Personally, I doubt Draco Spinks or Spungen would have ever worked, not in the HP series nor in fanfiction. As you say, there is a lot in a name. Malfoy sounds odd, perhaps, but it is ominous and powerful, reminiscent of old British families going all the way back to the Normans and 1066.

Spinks or Spungen reminds of nothing so much as spunk. ;) Draco would have only worked as a comic relief character with that name, and it is never a good idea to make an antagonist a comic relief character.

This post reminds me of what Philippa Boyens said when she was asked about the antagonist Azog in the Hobbit movie. In Tolkien's book Thorin's antagonist is actually the son of Azog, a goblin named Bolg, whereas Azog died. Boyens explained that they changed this, to have a direct confrontation between Thorin and Azog, who killed Thorin's grand-father. But also she said, "Azog is a much better name than Bolg." :) And she is totally right. Bolg, the pale orc, Bolg the defiled - that would have not been half as good as Azog the Defiler. :)

[celestlyn.livejournal.com]

In hindsight, Malfoy is exactly the right name for Draco. In fact, I love the name Draco. Makes me wonder how many people named their babies Draco. Probably not a lot, but I'm sure some did. Spinks or Spungeon just don't do it for me, but if Tom Felton played the part, I'd probably still love him.

I remember one gen-fic where there was a huge fight near the end and Ron ended up firing a curse at Draco and killing him. Then he had to deal with all sorts of guilt. It made me so sad to see Draco gone. Like I just didn't want to be in a wizarding world without Draco Malfoy. So, yeah, I'd probably love him anyway.

We were talking about names earlier today and what a genius JKR was with her names. I always did think that Mundungus Fletcher's name should have been Mundungus Filch. After all, he was known to pilfer things. Argus Fletcher would have worked too on Argus Filch. And Bellatrrix LeStrange! What a great name!

[scarletladyy.livejournal.com]

I hate to say it, but I'm with you too! Spinks/Spungen definitely does not do it for me. It sounds geeky and gives me the wrong impression and headcanon. Malfoy gives off a powerful and aristocratic air, and that's very important. It really is all in a name!

[thusspakekate.livejournal.com]

I've actually thought about this before! Spinks/Spungen sounds better suited for a Ministry parchment pusher than a morally ambiguous teenage antagonist. Malfoy is a much better name and actually helps to serve as piece of characterization in and of itself, if you believe the assertions that it was derived from the French phrase mal foi, meaning "bad faith." Not only does it evoke an aristocratic air phonetically, the philosophical implications of "bad faith" as a family name are just delicious.

Draco Spungen is a stock character who gets beat up by the likes of Crabbe and Goyle and spends all of his free time doing extra Arithmancy coursework for fun.

Draco Malfoy is a privileged teenager must who reconcile the duplicity of his heart and actions and whose existential crisis has a potential body count.

Vive le Malfoy!

[eidheann_writes]

Can't really touch this without mentioning Lucius as well, as through most of the stories, he and Draco were Harry's most direct antagonists. Would Lucius Spungeon/Spinks have believably been able to lie his way out of an Azkaban term? Had the power/influence to get his fingers into as many Ministry pies, even less than 20 years after being on the losing side of a very divisive war? Been, even if only temporarily, Voldemort's lieutenant?

I think it would have been a tough sell.

[ashindk.livejournal.com]

I think everything related to the Malfoys would be seen differently, if the name had been Spinks/Spungen. Not just Draco, but the whole plotline with his family, their connection to Voldemort, their connection to the Black family, the way Lucius and Snape interact... the whole dynamic of the way the various antagonists interact.
I think names are so important in stories. When I write original stories, or even just OC's in fic, I always put a lot of effort into finding the right names for characters. A name conveys so much about a persons background.

[chrysanthec.livejournal.com]

Urgh, to be honest in my opinion Spinks/Spungen doesn't even go well with 'Draco' as a first name. Nope. Malfoy it is.
When JK was choosing names for her characters, and in this case, when choosing for Draco, she intended for it to sound funny or off or whatever that should have brought up immediate dislike of Draco. (She hates Draco -.- like they're more like the villain than Voldy, really.) But I've always found that 'Malfoy' has a nice ring to it, even when the movies haven't been out and there were only like three HP books published and Draco was a total jerk and bully in the series (or maybe I am just used to it?).
And then again, if it did settled on that ( which I am so glad it didn't), imagine how Lucius' name would sound like? Er.. Lucius Spinks? Lucius Spungen? (What the...) That's just too common.
And that would be so not hot at all.

Think this: Malfoy and his evil sexy smirk. OR Spinks/Spungen and his .... guh, I don't even want to finish the sentence >.>

Malfoy all the way!

PS: Which reminded me, JK had intended to name Neville with Shortbottom instead of Longbottom before. *rolls eyes* That's just, ...weird.

Edited because of an two extra words.