Hogwarts and Hogmanay

Students from Hogwarts, leaving London from Platform 7¾, would travel for hours on end. Hogwarts was is located in Moray, which is one of the 32 council areas ('provinces') of Scotland. Moray is situated in the northeast of the country, near the all-wizard village of Hogsmeade, and 'not far' from Dufftown[1]. Hogwarts is an old castle: it was built in circa AD 993, which is clearly in the late Early Middle Ages.

Origin of the name 'Hogwarts'
According to wizard lore, Hogwarts got its name after Rowena Ravenclaw dreamt of a warty hog (or warthog) that lead her to a cliff by a lake. This explanation cannot be true, since warthogs do not live in Scotland. They are pigs that live in sub-Saharan Africa.

Since Hogwarts is located in Scotland, its name has probably connections with (the feast of) Hogmanay, the word for the last day of the old year and synonymous with the celebration of the New Year. Another potential connection is the Hogfather, mythical creature akin to Father Christmas, who grants children's wishes on Hogswatchnight (December 32) and brings them presents[2].

It seems that '-manay' in Hogmanay is cognate with Old-Norse mánaðr or mánuðr ('month').

Etymology of 'Hog-'
The etymology of the part 'hog' is vague.

Since it can be speculated that the roots of Hogmanay may reach back to the celebration of the winter solstice, or the shortest day, among the Norse[3]. I think that Old-Norse höggu-nótt or höku-nótt, with the meaning of 'midwinter-night', might be the source of the 'hog' in both Hogmanay and Hogwarts.

Etymology of '-warts'
The etymology of the part 'warts' is less problematic.

It is possibly a corruption of the Old English word weard, meaning 'keeper', 'watchman', 'guard', 'guardian', 'protector'.

[Ring of Brodgar - Orkney Islands]

Conclusion
Could the name of Hogwarts therefore mean 'guardian of the winter solstice'? That would mean the castle had a very important and hitherto unknown extra task, equivalent to the many prehistoric monuments in Scotland.

Again, we discover that Joanne Rowling has a firm grasp of history.

[1] Joanne Rowling: The Prisoner of Azkaban - 1999.
[2] Terry Pratchett: The Hogfather - 1996.
[3] Ben Johnson: The history of Hogmanay – 2021. See here.