It’s one thing when your parents give you an already famous name, but when Harry Potter was born, no one thought his name was special. Nine years later, J.K. Rowling published the first Harry Potter novel, and things changed. He says a referee threatened him with a red card as a boy because he told him his name was Harry Potter.
It can’t be fun, and his name even caused a problem when he met his wife for the first time on a trip to Greece. He introduced himself to the woman he would marry, and she called him a liar. Potter does say his famous name isn’t all bad; when he was 12, his family was invited on “The Big Breakfast” television show when the first Harry Potter movie was released.
The real-life Harry Potter works in a complaint department, and he says the caller usually “dissolves into laughter” when he tells them his name. There’s one other positive; Harry’s father bought the first Potter novel for his son as soon as he saw it; it turns out that hardback copy was one of only 500 made in the first print run. He’s auctioning it off, and it’s expected to bring in over $40k.