Choosing a Baby Name from Tolkien
LOTR and Elvish-Sounding Names For Your Child
JRR Tolkien has inspired a number of parents to call their babies Galadriel and Arwen. Here are some Professor-esque alternatives.
For parents who wish to honour Tolkien's writings in their choice of baby names, without ending up with a Gandalf and a Frodo, Tolkien's linguistic cunning can be mined for some unique, Lord of the Rings-style names.
Anglo-Saxon names
Tolkien based the culture of Rohan heavily and directly on Anglo-Saxon culture. Many of the names of the Rohirrim are simply Old English words or combinations thereof. Eorl means 'nobleman'; Theoden roughly means 'leader of the people'; Eowyn comes from 'eoh', meaning 'horse', and 'wyn', meaning 'joy'. A few Anglo-Saxon names still survive which sound faintly Tolkienesque—Rowan, Elmer, Elwyna, Alfred, Lyndon and Irwyn. Most online baby name guides have an Anglo-Saxon section. Otherwise, an Anglo-Saxon dictionary may provide the inspiration for a unique name.
Elvish names
Elvish names are very popular, although the advent of Elvish name generators has resulted in a host of faux-Elvish nicknames, which bear only a parodic resemblance to Tolkien's carefully constructed monikers. Tolkien's Elvish language is fragmentary in both of its significant forms—Quenya or 'High-Elven' and Sindarin or 'Grey-Elven'. (The latter is not to be confused with 'Grelvish', a reconstructed extension of the language by Tolkien fans, which is not part of Tolkien's canon). However, enough words exist to be able to form some names. For example Estel, meaning hope, could become Estella or Estelle. Alda is the Quenya word for 'tree', Eryn the Sindarin for 'forest' or 'wood'. It is wise to become familiar with the rules of Elvish pronounciation and syntax when choosing a name, if authenticity is desired.
Names From Tolkien's Lesser-Known Characters
Due to the sprawling nature of Tolkien's mythology, his works are peppered with names. While it is easy to see how a well-known name such as Aragorn might be problematic as a baby name, there are plenty of lesser-known names in his works. The Silmarillion or any of the History of Middle-Earth books are a valuable resource; otherwise, lists can be found online containing scores of his names. A child named Elatan is unlikely to be immediately associated with Tolkien's works, but the name is canonical and contains the characteristic Tolkien sound.
Conventions of Hobbit Names
For an even subtler nod to LOTR, hobbit naming conventions could be used. Frodo notes in The Return of the King that 'half the maidchildren in the Shire' are named after flowers (p.1003, HarperCollinsPublishers 2002 edition), and mention is made in the book and appendices of a Lobelia, Marigold, Rose, Primula, Poppy, Daisy, Elanor, Belladonna, Pimpernel, Peony and Pansy. Gemstone names such Ruby, Diamond and Pearl are also common. The naming conventions for boys are less precise, with a tendency simply to short and simple names derived from Anglo-Saxon; however, reusing family names is a strong convention.
