Though Ravenclaw is often overlooked in the Harry Potter series, the house has produced some truly powerful wizards. As the series established, Hogwarts founder Rowena Ravenclaw was responsible for instituting the Ravenclaw house. Not only that, but she also chose the location, design, and name of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, seeing most of these things in a prophetic dream. Each Hogwarts founder chose specific traits that they wanted to foster in the students they taught, with Ravenclaw preferring students of quick wit, intellect, creativity, and an ability to think outside the box.
With all of these different Ravenclaw traits in mind, the house has produced some truly unique wizards and witches, who have had a lasting impact on the Wizarding World because of their creations and contributions. The most famous Ravenclaws are well-known names among witches and wizards alike, with some making strides in wandlore, the creation of Floo powder, serving as Minister for Magic, and more. Though a house known for its wits, the most famous Ravenclaws range in terms of intelligence.
14 Gilderoy Lockhart
Gilderoy Lockhart could undoubtedly be considered one of the most successful Ravenclaws in the modern era and one of the most famous Ravenclaws of all time, but he, unfortunately, does not live up to the house’s ideals of intelligence and knowledge. He had a series of popular books in Chamber of Secrets that chronicled his various heroic feats but it turns out that he took credit from other people and then erased their memories.
He may be an exceptional talent when it comes to memory charms, but that seems to eat up the entirety of his brainpower because aside from that he was shown to not have much intelligence. In his brief tenure as a Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, his teenage students consistently displayed more smarts and common sense than he did.
13 Myrtle Warren
More commonly known as Moaning Myrtle, Myrtle Warren may have been an influential ghost, but whatever she did was incidental rather than a conscious choice on her part. Myrtle’s death by Basilisk was a game-changer for Harry Potter’s story in Chamber of Secrets, but she never actually figured out what killed her; her death was only a clue that the characters used to figure out what was happening. Myrtle had decades to ponder over how she was killed and by what, but a few second-years figured it out in a matter of moments, which doesn’t paint this Hogwarts ghost in the brightest light.
12 Cho Chang
Cho Chang was an exceptionally talented witch and one of the more famous Ravenclaws, though the movies did not do the best job of showing this. The character was mainly shown as a love interest for Harry, creating a love triangle between the Boy Wizard and Cedric. While this also occurred in the books to an extent, the novels also highlight her talents as a witch.
Cho was an exceptional student who was adept at charms and defensive magic and was a key member of Dumbledore’s Army in Order of the Phoenix before her friend Marietta ratted the organization out. Additionally, Cho returned to Hogwarts, despite graduating a year prior, in order to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts in The Deathly Hallows, illustrating her command over defensive magic by dueling several Death Eaters and surviving the battle.
11 Helena Ravenclaw
Helena Ravenclaw was the daughter of Hogwarts founder, Rowena Ravenclaw, although she would eventually be more widely known by the name “the Grey Lady.” Along with being one of the most famous Ravenclaws, Helena Ravenclaw became a ghost at Hogwarts after her murder by the jealous Bloody Baron. Despite her death, Helena Ravenclaw would continue to take a keen interest in reading and learning.
She was often spotted sitting in on lessons and reading in the Gryffindor tower, and she surely left an impression on plenty of Hogwarts students. She helped Harry find her mother’s lost diadem and Voldemort’s Horcrux in The Deathly Hallows, but Harry had quite the time worming the story out of her due to her guilt over the matter.
10 Quirinus Quirrell
While Professor Quirrell will always be remembered for the fact that he allowed himself to be possessed by Lord Voldemort, fans should not forget how shrewd he was and that he’s one of the most famous Ravenclaws. Quirrell had a keen academic mind and excelled in theoretical learning, although this theoretical knowledge didn’t always translate into practical mastery.
As a result, Quirrell was far from the most powerful Ravenclaw wizard, but he was certainly a clever one. This intellect could be seen in the fact that he managed to both find Voldemort and conceal this from Albus Dumbledore in Sorcerer’s Stone. He managed to break into the chamber that held the stone, but Harry was once again his downfall.
9 Sybill Trelawney
Professor Trelawney isn’t exactly the typical intellectual that most imagines when one hears the word “Ravenclaw,” but she undoubtedly had a knack for thinking outside of the box and was one of the most famous Ravenclaws in the series. She made two very important prophecies during the series, with the second being Pettigrew’s escape in Prisoner of Azkaban and his reunion with Voldemort.
The majority of her career at Hogwarts seems to be driven by her belief that her random thoughts were literal psychic visions, and she often predicted Harry’s demise. However, as the woman who made the prophecy about Harry Potter and Voldemort, Sybill Trelawney ironically and unintentionally changed the course of history with her legitimate foretelling.
8 Xenophilius Lovegood
It’s not hard to see where Luna gets her uniqueness from, as her father Xenophilius is just as much of a lovable oddball as she is, and one of the most famous Ravenclaws in Harry Potter. And although trying to turn the Golden Trio over to Death Eaters wasn’t his finest moment in The Deathly Hallows, in the end, Xenophilius’ impact on the wizarding world was likely positive.
The magic community at large initially wrote him and his work with The Quibbler off as nothing more than nonsensical rantings, but as time went on, it became one of the only reliable news sources for witches and wizards. The Quibbler was the only news source to back Harry on the fact that Voldemort had returned in Order of the Phoenix, changing its reputation for the better until he was forced to change his tune in The Deathly Hallows.
7 Laverne De Montmorency
Laverne de Montmorency was a highly skilled witch who specialized in the field of potions, and while she isn’t a visible character in Harry Potter, she remains one of the most famous Ravenclaws. After graduating from Hogwarts in the early to mid-19th century, Montmorency took a keen interest in love potions and became an expert in the field. As a consequence, she went on to invent several new love potions.
Due to the fact that love potions are notoriously difficult to brew, and she actually invented her own, Montmorency was given her very own chocolate frog card in order to honor her accomplishments. In addition, she’s technically responsible for Voldemort being born, as Merope Gaunt used a powerful love potion to seduce the Muggle Tom Riddle.
6 Garrick Ollivander
Garrick Ollivander is generally considered to be the best British wandmaker, a trade his family is known for. This status as a fine wandmaker also carries with it a vast knowledge of wands, making Ollivander an expert in wandlore. In addition to being highly skilled and knowledgeable in wand-making, Ollivander also has an eidetic memory; the wandmaker famously remembers every wand he has ever sold. He was instrumental to Harry’s mission in The Deathly Hallows after being rescued from Malfoy Manor. He provided Harry with integral information about the Elder Wand and informed Harry that Draco’s wand had changed its allegiance to him after his own snapped in the foray with Nagini in Godric’s Hollow.
5 Millicent Bagnold
Millicent Bagnold was the Minister for Magic during the First Wizarding War, allowing her to be the ruling Minister for Magic during Voldemort’s initial downfall in 1981. After the defeat of the dark wizard, Bagnold famously defended the right of wizards to celebrate, even if it meant disobeying the Statute of Secrecy.
Aside from her assertion that wizards have the right to party and being one of the most famous Ravenclaws, Bagnold also oversaw the arrests of several Death Eaters after the fall of the Dark Lord, so she thankfully had a positive impact on witches and wizards at large. She isn’t mentioned much in the series, since Cornelius Fudge is Minister for Magic at that point, but her contributions during the First Wizarding War had a lasting effect on the Wizarding World.
4 Luna Lovegood
Luna was one of the brightest and most talented witches in her year, and definitively one of the most famous Ravenclaws of the Harry Potter series. Despite her eccentricities and difficulties socializing, Luna Lovegood excelled in her studies. She was very talented at charms and defensive magic. By age 14, she was able to cast a corporeal Patronus charm while in Dumbledore’s Army in Order of the Phoenix.
It’s hard to imagine Harry Potter defeating the Dark Lord without Luna’s assistance, so her impact on the world was far-reaching. She survived the Battle of Hogwarts in The Deathly Hallows, and was present during the gang’s infiltration of the Department of Mysteries in Order of the Phoenix. After her studies at Hogwarts, Luna became a world-renowned magizoologist and traveled the globe to discover new and unseen creatures.
3 Filius Flitwick
Filius Flitwick was the charms professor at Hogwarts during Harry’s time as a student and one of the most famous Ravenclaws. Flitwick was clearly a master of charms, to the extent that the teacher even invented several of his own spells. In addition to charms, Flitwick was also very capable of defensive magic and was a master duelist in his youth, an ability which could be seen by his performance in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Professor Flitwick is also a creative individual as he is also the conductor of the Hogwarts choir. This means Flitwick fulfills both the intelligence and creativity ideals of the Ravenclaw house. Plus, as an educator of so many magical folks, his influence in the Harry Potter universe can’t be overstated.
2 Ignatia Wildsmith
Ignatia Wildsmith was a Ravenclaw who took a notable interest in the field of herbology and was one of the most famous Ravenclaws thanks to her life-changing invention. It is in her study of herbology that Ignatia discovered the marvelous properties of the Floo plant. After studying these properties, Ignatia managed to create a powder from Floo that would become the basis for travel via Floo powder.
Wildsmith is credited with the invention of a new form of transport — the Floo Network. This allowed witches and wizards to travel through fireplaces, allowing those without the skill to Apparate the ability to travel quickly and easily. The Floo Network is used in nearly every wizarding home and the Ministry of Magic, with Harry using Floo powder for the first time in Chamber of Secrets.
1 Rowena Ravenclaw
No other witch or wizard could have topped the original, Rowena Ravenclaw, founder of Ravenclaw House and one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As one of the most famous Ravenclaws, Rowena built her house on the ideals she valued and embodied — intelligence and creativity.
Rowena Ravenclaw is considered to be one of the greatest witches and wizards of all time, and her love and passion for learning make her one of the most intelligent as well. She was responsible for the location, naming, and some of the floorplan of Hogwarts and was the creator of Ravenclaw’s diadem. Her choices and ideas undoubtedly influenced all the successful Ravenclaws in the wizarding world.
