Why would an author (who is supposed to be talented) name a place after HPV?
A little education, sir.
Officially known as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the site of Harry Potter’s education is a medieval castle complete with ramparts, towers, and dungeons, plus all manner of wondrous features. From the portraits to the stairs, Hogwarts is a menagerie of magic.
Rowling has suggested in interviews that she got the idea for the name Hogwarts from the hogwort plant which she had seen at Kew Gardens before writing the Harry Potter books. She may once again have engaged in wordplay by substituting vowels, similar to how she created Diagon Alley or the Pensieve.
The hogwort plant (Croton capitatus) is an annual herb native to the eastern half of the U.S. It contains croton oil, a potent laxative, but otherwise isn’t remarkable in traditional herbology or folklore. The origin of this name is obscure, though the “wort” part does mean “plant”, as in St. John’s Wort.
The name Hogwarts appears outside of Harry Potter’s universe. In the Molesworth books, Hogwarts is the title of one of Molesworth’s fake Latin plays. It is also the name of the Headmaster of Porridge Court, the rival to Molesworth’s school, St. Custard’s. And in the film Labyrinth, the character Sarah called Hoggle “Hogwarts” by mistake.
