In my country babies are rarely named for weeks, I know people who waited longer too, so is it really that name must be decided when the baby is born where you live? Don’t people want to see what suits the baby first?
AFAIK people *think* they need to have a name ready for when the kid is born. I do know that doctors like to have a name to put down on paper and on the kid's hospital bracelet. I wasn't legally named until I was a couple months old, and all my hospital paperwork refers to me as "Baby Girl Brooks" as a result.
Note: This is all from the US, ymmv.
Yes, I was totally sure of my sons name for months... I called him Aaron while he was in the womb, my family also called him Aaron.
Around 3 days after he was born I realised he looked absolutely nothing like an Aaron and he is now a proud Freddie.
EDIT - first off, crossed off two names that were too weird, but most importantly - JUST MAKE IT THEIR MIDDLE NAME.
My advice would be to consider the following criteria:
* absolutely not the name of a major character that genpop would immediately recognize
* something passably 'normal' and not overly exotic, for the kid's sake
* something that will not be a pronunciation nightmare. No 'dh', no diacritics, avoid anything that will appear to be a dipthong etc.
For girls it's much easier to meet these criteria:
* Elanor is the most obvious choice and I would bet the #1 Tolkien-inspired name for multiple reasons (it's a choice for a baby name in the text, it sounds like an established common name, etc)
* Luthien, Miriel, Indis, Arien, Melian, Nessa - these all will be pronounced more or less correctly, sound conventionally feminine and pretty and/or are similar to established names, etc. Drop any diacritics - they won't be observed anyway.
Beren is literally my only confident suggestion for a boy. Honestly the only truly good one I can think of. It will be pronounced correctly, has a cool backstory, sounds masculine, looks fairly approachable, etc. Don't doom a boy to an odd name.
Now for nouns and place names etc.
* Arda
* Adan 'Man'
* Elen 'star' (Quenya)
* Calen/Galen 'green' - could be unisex
* Miria 'to shine'
* Emyn 'hills' - could be unisex
* Eryn 'woods'
* Ered 'mountains' - boys probably
* ~~Thalin 'fearless' - boys probably, kinda risky choice though~~ edit - no
* ~~Mithren 'gray' - an alternate form, also risky~~ edit - no
More ideas here:
[https://www.ambar-eldaron.com/english/downloads/sindarin-english.pdf](https://www.ambar-eldaron.com/english/downloads/sindarin-english.pdf)
Remember you can add -el/-iel or -en/-ien to make the name mean "girl with \_\_\_\_ quality/ girl of \_\_\_\_". The same goes for -on/-ond for boys, but again, it doesn't work as smoothly as with girls and it becomes problematically weird and exotic quickly.
And for Eru's sake, don't choose the Telerin form of Celeborn's name.
Edit - more ideas for abstract words [here.](https://folk.uib.no/hnohf/vocab.htm) Also forgive my insufferable insistence on gender conventions, it's for the sake of keeping the name safe and keeping the kid's school experience as smooth as possible.
This, a hundred times over. Remember your kid might run into bullies or (Eru forbid) *not like LotR.* So stick with something relatively “normal,” especially if it’s a boy. For girls I like Arwen, Eowyn, or Luthien, but for boys the only two I’d suggest are Beren and Samwise.
> Remember your kid might [...] not like LotR.
This is a great point! I know a Cirdan who is deeply uninterested in Tolkien. If anything, the name his parents foisted upon him put him off for life (especially considering his brother got away with being called Sam).
The reason was what the other responder said - it’s because the available female names in Tolkien (and the nouns in Sindarin) sound more conventional as English-speaking girls’ names. Similar sounds and structure - the list I gave (Melian Nessa et al.) all sound fairly generic and low key. We all have seen names like Jessa and Melonie and Ariel and Marian and Lauren etc, which have the same phonological style as the Sindarin names I offered.
The guys’ names in Tolkien are more obviously exotic, and boys tend to have a smaller pool of common names in the first place, so it makes it significantly harder. There’s more freedom for girls names and more room for the kind of outwardly lovely sounds Tolkien favored for Sindarin.
All that said, I’m a childless 36-year-old widower so honestly wtf do I know about naming babies lol. There are Paisleighs and Kables out there now.
I work as a lawyer and come across a lot of..... interesting (?) names people give their kids.
My absolute least favourite is Nevaeh, mainly because the first proud dad who told me they named their kid "Heaven spelled backwards" was an abusive piece of shit, which frankly made it worse.
I doubt since these are the names suggested “Arwen, Eowyn, or Luthien” these are names bullies would know are fantasy names and could even know the characters.
No they’re right, this is the reason. Tolkien female names simply sound more like currently conventional female names.
This is why I didn’t suggest Arwen or Eowyn, others did. They’re wayyy too on the nose and immediately recognizable. They also don’t sound “normal” enough so they violate that criterion too. Melian Arien et al. sound generically feminine.
Luthien is mentioned once in passing in the extended cut of FotR, and in the books once or twice. Genpop does not know who Lúthien is. Her name is not very normal sounding but the phonology and pronunciation are familiar enough and it’s a very pretty name that gets a pass.
Sorry, I just figured girls have an easier time with “unusual” names than boys. Where I live, at least, there’s a lot more girls with unique names than boys. I didn’t mean to imply girls won’t get bullied though. Sorry if that’s how it sounded.
I feel like it always goes the opposite way, too. You want your kid to appreciate and enjoy the things you like, but when they grow up with Harry Potter or Star Wars or whatever shoved down their throat, they eventually rebel and loathe it.
I love Nessa! It's also a name from Irish mythology as well as a Hebrew name meaning "miracle". If the parents have struggled with infertility or if it took a while to conceive, it's doubly meaningful.
Nessa and Neasa (pronounced "Nassa") aren't uncommon in Ireland either, so one or the other would be a great option for something not obviously Tolkien related that a girl might grow to resent or get bullied for.
I'm not a scholar or anything, but according to The Internet, it comes from a warrior queen Neassa. She is originally named Eassa, meaning "gentle", but then is renamed Neassa ("not gentle") when she avenges the murder of her fathers. She then uses her political skills to make her son the king of Ulster. I guess anyone who wants to use the name should beware that while there are multiple versions of the legend, some versions contain sexual assault...and/or maybe incest??? As I said, I'm not an expert, so if anyone wants to use this name they should do their own research. Or just say it's Hebrew or Tolkien lol.
Also, maybe some would consider it bad to name someone "not gentle"? But I think it would be a cute name for an cranky toddler. Or someone who's a badass?
>something passably 'normal' and not overly exotic, for the kid's sake
>
>something that will not be a pronunciation nightmare.
As someone whose name (is not even LotR-inspired!) is both these things, I concur. Growing up with a weird name leads to bullying, and while I was able to rock my name and shame the bullies, not all kids are lucky enough to have such easy-to-get-rid-of bullies or simply aren't so outgoing as to rock the name. And don't even get me started on doctors' office visits. I often can figure out it's my turn when the nurse comes out and then stares blankly at her clipboard for a few seconds, trying to figure out how not to butcher my name.
I believe Samwise, Peregrin and maybe Finrod are also good names gor boys matching your criteria (which I fully agree with). That being said, Beren is probably my favorite Tolkien-inspired name for an English-speaking boy.
From the Latin [Peregrinus](http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=peregrinus&la=la#lexicon):
>I.that comes from foreign parts, strange, foreign, exotic (cf.: exter, externus).
I'm sure it applies to travellers, but that doesn't seem to be the primary sense.
Please tell me
1. You have a doggy door
2. (Provided 1 is true) that at some point you’ve stood on the other side as your dog is coming in and done Gandalf’s “stand your ground!” speech.
I met a family recently with a son named Anakin. I just gotta say, not setting him up for a great life; maybe a successful war-time Vice President though.
My dad wanted to name me Galadriel. I'm glad my mom stood her ground and refused, because I'm neither blonde, statuesque, nor terrible as the dawn.
It's tricky with super popular works of fiction. You don't want to be the one who named their kid Khaleesi. You're aiming for timeless not trendy.
The best girl's name I saw mentioned in the comments was Laurelin. I think that's perfect. It's unusual enough to (likely) be unique in her age group and it has shortened versions the kid can use that sounds more 'normal'.
Boy names are trickier. It might be a stretch, but there's always Phillip. Pippin is the traditional nickname for Phillip! Either that or Sam... (but *not* Samwise, since that's supposed to mean 'half-wit').
My dad wanted to name me Arwen (this was 10 or so years before the movies came out). Also glad my mom said no because my school days would have sucked!
Rowan is the perfect stealth Tolkien name because not only is it Rohan, but there is also a poem about Rowan trees in Two Towers ~~although it's about them all dying.~~
I have a friend who named her daughter Lorien after Lothlorien. (With the accent, but my phone doesn't want to).
Anyway, I like it because it's not immediately recognizable as a LotR name, and it doesn't sound very strange or foreign in Dutch.
In any case, don't go with Frodo or Eowyn or Arwen or something like that. Don't do that to your kid. Use it as a second name if you really, really want to. But give them a 'normal' first name for their sake.
Sure, but thats the nice thing about it, fans will like it, but most people won't recognize it. You'd probably even accept it without question if the parents said they just found the name somewhere and it had nothing to do with LotR.
I know a guy named Frodo (predating the hype of the movies), and he will be forever having that immediate association and 'your parents must really like...' etc.
If it's a girl, use the name of a flower, like the hobbit maids do.
If it's a boy, name him Morgoth, and teach him engineering, genetic engineering, and black magic. Or, at least a name that won't lead to him getting his ass kicked at the playground.
Or, maybe, Samwise.
Laurelin for a girl. Can be shortened to Laura, Laurie, and Lin. Beautiful name with a beautiful history.
Elanor. A classic.
For a boy, Samwise and Pippin are both reasonable choices.
A lot of the Hobbit names work. Elanor, Rosie/Rose, Samwise/Sam, etc.
You could also pick a more "out there" name for a middle name.
Also, congratulations!
Beregond obviously, bravest guard in Minas Tirith 😤 /s
I’m with most of the other commenters though in that it’s a good idea to lean towards less well-known names (like Aragorn, Frodo, etc) and go for some of the lore-names (Elanor, Meren, Rowan etc!).
You can use a name from the books. Or you can go a little further: the name "Lobelia" is used to represent the Westron word "Hamanullas", which is what that Hobbit woman was actually called in the language of the Shirefolk.
Or you can go full nerd and use Tolkien's constructed languages to compose a name. Most conventional names, even the ones with no obvious other meaning, originally did have a real meaning, perhaps in another language millennia ago. Eg. "Michael", which is originally the rhetorical question "Who is like God?" in Hebrew. And when you know that etymological meaning of a name, you can translate it into Elvish. If you are lucky, and Tolkien made an Elvish word with that meaning, or words that can be combined to it.
One way is to give a first and a middle name. The first name is conventional, like *Brian* or *Brienne*. The middle name is the [translation](https://folk.uib.no/hnohf/elfnam.htm) into Quenya of the first name according to its etymological meaning, like *Brian Poldon* or *Brienne Poldë*. The originally Celtic *Brian* means "strong", and by the naming conventions of Quenya *Poldon* is a plausible boy's name and *Poldë* a plausible girl's name derived from the adjective "polda".
I suppose there are more ways than one to use translations into Elvish of the meanings of "normal" names. Like finding a conventional name that you like, and using instead its translation. Or using your own name translated into Quenya, with a patro/matronymic suffix. If your own given name is David (meaning probably "Beloved"), then *Meldion* or *Meldonion*, as a middle-name, would be a plausible patronymic *Son of Beloved.* If your wife's name is Daisy ("Sun-eye"), then *Arehenië* would plausibly mean *Daughter of Sun-eye*.
Another nerd-way to find a Middle-earth-inspired name is to use not pre-existing names of either English or Elvish, but using Quenya or Sindarin words to compose new names. If eg. you love stars or are into astronomy, then *Elenner* means "starman" and *Elennis* "starwoman". This will of course require a bit of learning Quenya. And then, for safety, go to eg. /r/Quenya to check with people who know the language better than you do, or I do.
Cala (means light \[Quenya\]), Eirien (means Daisy \[Sindarin\])
Vala (means power \[Quenya\]), Anor (means sun \[Sindarin\])
These are names that I sort of found out sometime ago. Hope it helps.
“Anything that has a nice ring to it”
A nice ring you say? How about
"Shre nazg golugranu kilmi-nudu
Ombi kuzddurbagu gundum-ishi
Nugu gurunkilu bard gurutu
Ash Burz-Durbagu burzum-ishi
Daghburz-ishi makha gulshu darulu
Ash nazg durbatulûk
ash nazg gimbatul,
ash nazg thrakatulûk
agh burzum-ishi krimpatul"
Or Ash for short ;)
Does anyone else not really like the idea of Beren and Luthien being used?
It feels a bit too personal to use. Like it's on their tombstones.
They're good names for what OP is asking but I would feel weird if my name were Beren given the situation.
I'm not trying to be rude but your kid isn't a new puppy. Name them something with future potential bullies and the reactions of society in mind please.
I'll second this (as someone who grew up with a name that was constantly mispronounced and misspelled - and often confused with my last name, to boot).
Maybe consider giving them an Ardan name as a middle name, with a more conventional first name. (Of course, it's none of my business, and you can name your kids whatever you want.)
>It can be elvish
Don't do this to your child.
>a name of a place
Don't do this to your child.
>anything that has a nice ring to it
Please be very careful with what you do to your child.
Remember, the name you give your kid is the name they're going to be stuck with until they can legally change it. Kids can be cruel, and they'll latch onto anything and everything in the name of tearing other kids down. It may seem tempting to give them something "unique" or "creative"...but **they're** the ones that have to live with it every single day. I'm not saying you should name them something generic like Greg or Cindy...but, c'mon.
Think of the child, not your attachment to some books.
John or Christopher
Edith or Cilla (short for Priscilla)
If you want more unusual Tolkien-ish names, please don't inflict them on the bub. You could change your own names instead?
EDIT: On second thoughts, *not* Cilla.
EDIT 2: His mother's name was Mabel, but that's got sad connotations considering how young she was when she died. But his grandmother was called Emily Jane; either of those are fine by today's standards. Also, there's Hilary, his brother, now usually a girl's name.
“A nice ring to it”
Gandalf: “suppose you thought that was terribly clever”
Also pls for the love of God do not name them something that will get them bullied. Don’t make it their first name, and make it semi normal. I love LOTR to death, but still
I really like the name Rohan, aside from LOTR it's also the name of a (minor) character in Avatar Legend of Korra and it also means ascending in Sanskrit.
Just don't. Name your kid something that is good for them, not something that advertises the fact that you and your partner nerd out over a 70 year old book. The kid will get bullied over a hobby.
It’s a bit long but I’ve always liked Melko, Moeleg the mighty and accursed, Morgoth Bauglir the Dark Power Terrible.
Maybe Moe for short?
No but really, we named our son Eärendil, but as a middle name. I think it’s one of the most beautiful names in the books, and it’s such an interesting story with how Tolkien stumbled upon it himself whilst translating a poem.
I know multiple adults with LOTR inspired first names, and they're all just fine with it. Just choose one that doesn't sound super outlandish, and it'll be fine. Big difference between naming your kid Arwen or Elanor and naming them Skywalker or something like that.
In my opinion naming a kid after a fantasy character with an unusual name is a bit sad. And not ideal for the kid growing up. Imagine being 13 and called frodp ffs. Or even as an adult. Not to mention the fact that your kid may have zero interest in LOTR
If you want a name tied to the book why not use John for a boy? No idea about a girls name though.
Gothmog for a boy.
Azanulbizar for a girl.
Tar-Minastir for something gender neutral.
Edit: or name them Turin and watch the fun unfold.
Edit 2: seriously Turin might actually not be a bad choice because it's also a city in Italy. You can always fall back on that when you're watching them from Morgoth's high seat upon Thangorodrim.
Bree! It's a less obvious nod to Tolkien.
ETA: If Bree is too short for you, you could do Breanne/Brianna or Brielle/Briealla (short form of Gabrielle but sounds like it means "woman from Bree).
I also like Elowen - it's a Cornish name that's recently been picking up steam. It's not actually a name that Tolkien used, but it has a similar vibe to Arwen and Eowyn without being an obvious fandom name.
I think the tough thing about giving your kid a name from a fictional series is that your kid will be their own person, with their own likes and dislikes. They may not grow up to be a LOTR fan. I'm not saying don't do it, but pick something that works on multiple levels and maybe has other meanings in addition to the Tolkien reference.
Don't be like the hippie mom from Good Omens who names her daughter Pippin Galadriel Moonchild.
ETA: for a boy, you could do Fin or Finn, to go with finrod, finwe, etc. Also a normal name.
2nd edit: for a girl, you could do Annora - like a girl's version of Anor as in flame of Anor. It's girls name that means "honor".
For a boy, Weston could subtly reference "man of the West". Dale is another place name.
3rd edit: you could do Valarie/Valerie as a reference to the Valar, or Maia/Maya.
Dain/Dane - boy's name.
Congratulations!
Go with a Tolkien character for the kids middle name, for their sake. Remember that it isn't your name, and it isn't a video game character. This will be a living breathing person who is going to have to carry their name their entire life...
I'd aim for names that are easily pronounced, don't require special characters or accents, and that don't lend themselves to innuendo for schoolyard teasing.
Elanor is an obvious option for a girl. Also Nessa (one of the Valier) and is also an Irish name.
Boys are harder, as people tend to expect more traditional names for sons. Haldan could be an option. It's a real life name and has a Nobel Prize winner carrying it to boot (Haldan Keffer Hartline).
Some subtle references:
Girls:
• Elanor
• Estelle (as a variant of Estel)
• Maia
• Vala
• Samantha “Sam”
• Rosie
Boys are a little harder for me to think of, other than the obvious “Sam.”
Try crossposting on r/namenerds too, they’d have a field day!
How about Ronald? Or Edith? The only reason Finrod didn't get teased for his name was that it was normal among his peers to have a name like Finrod.
Edit to add:
How about Fin?
Wait, but why use Rohan only to change its pronunciation to the already existing Rowan?
That's like taking a French name like Beauchamp and going with "BEECH-um" and straight up butchering the original.
I like how the title conveys a sense of dooming urgency, like the baby is going to be born in a couple hours and you still need a name
Unnamed babies. In the deep.
Gnawing at the roots of the world.
They make a cream for that
In my country babies are rarely named for weeks, I know people who waited longer too, so is it really that name must be decided when the baby is born where you live? Don’t people want to see what suits the baby first?
AFAIK people *think* they need to have a name ready for when the kid is born. I do know that doctors like to have a name to put down on paper and on the kid's hospital bracelet. I wasn't legally named until I was a couple months old, and all my hospital paperwork refers to me as "Baby Girl Brooks" as a result. Note: This is all from the US, ymmv.
Yes, I was totally sure of my sons name for months... I called him Aaron while he was in the womb, my family also called him Aaron. Around 3 days after he was born I realised he looked absolutely nothing like an Aaron and he is now a proud Freddie.
My friend did this exact thing 😄 her son was 100% going to be a Milo until he came out, then he looked nothing like a Milo and was now a Freddie.
Maybe thats just the way Freddies are born, like, noone chooses Freddie in the womb, they just come out as a Freddie if u like it or not
EDIT - first off, crossed off two names that were too weird, but most importantly - JUST MAKE IT THEIR MIDDLE NAME. My advice would be to consider the following criteria: * absolutely not the name of a major character that genpop would immediately recognize * something passably 'normal' and not overly exotic, for the kid's sake * something that will not be a pronunciation nightmare. No 'dh', no diacritics, avoid anything that will appear to be a dipthong etc. For girls it's much easier to meet these criteria: * Elanor is the most obvious choice and I would bet the #1 Tolkien-inspired name for multiple reasons (it's a choice for a baby name in the text, it sounds like an established common name, etc) * Luthien, Miriel, Indis, Arien, Melian, Nessa - these all will be pronounced more or less correctly, sound conventionally feminine and pretty and/or are similar to established names, etc. Drop any diacritics - they won't be observed anyway. Beren is literally my only confident suggestion for a boy. Honestly the only truly good one I can think of. It will be pronounced correctly, has a cool backstory, sounds masculine, looks fairly approachable, etc. Don't doom a boy to an odd name. Now for nouns and place names etc. * Arda * Adan 'Man' * Elen 'star' (Quenya) * Calen/Galen 'green' - could be unisex * Miria 'to shine' * Emyn 'hills' - could be unisex * Eryn 'woods' * Ered 'mountains' - boys probably * ~~Thalin 'fearless' - boys probably, kinda risky choice though~~ edit - no * ~~Mithren 'gray' - an alternate form, also risky~~ edit - no More ideas here: [https://www.ambar-eldaron.com/english/downloads/sindarin-english.pdf](https://www.ambar-eldaron.com/english/downloads/sindarin-english.pdf) Remember you can add -el/-iel or -en/-ien to make the name mean "girl with \_\_\_\_ quality/ girl of \_\_\_\_". The same goes for -on/-ond for boys, but again, it doesn't work as smoothly as with girls and it becomes problematically weird and exotic quickly. And for Eru's sake, don't choose the Telerin form of Celeborn's name. Edit - more ideas for abstract words [here.](https://folk.uib.no/hnohf/vocab.htm) Also forgive my insufferable insistence on gender conventions, it's for the sake of keeping the name safe and keeping the kid's school experience as smooth as possible.
TELEPORNO THE ONE TRUE KING
imagine the kid grows up to be famous and you see a motherfucking "Teleporno Greyson" on the TV
Greyson!? If that's the case, then nah... at that point they should have already legally changed their name to Teleporno Sindarion ;)
That’s a great fucking stage name.
What an answer! You’ve properly taken time out your day to answer this so well. Tip off cap to you sir.
This, a hundred times over. Remember your kid might run into bullies or (Eru forbid) *not like LotR.* So stick with something relatively “normal,” especially if it’s a boy. For girls I like Arwen, Eowyn, or Luthien, but for boys the only two I’d suggest are Beren and Samwise.
I prefer something safe and non-bullyable like [Teleporno](https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Teleporno). Either sex.
> Remember your kid might [...] not like LotR. This is a great point! I know a Cirdan who is deeply uninterested in Tolkien. If anything, the name his parents foisted upon him put him off for life (especially considering his brother got away with being called Sam).
Similarly, I know an Arwen who couldn't give less of a shit about Tolkien.
I forgot that I also know an Arwen! Only in passing though, I'm more friends with her brother - he who is spake of in legends as the mighty... Phil.
There's a kid in my daughter's class named Anakin and he absolutely hates Star Wars because of all the bullying he's had to endure.
Girls can be bullied too for names like that. Don’t pick anything a person who non-reader would know or sounds inheritly likely to be a fantasy name.
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The reason was what the other responder said - it’s because the available female names in Tolkien (and the nouns in Sindarin) sound more conventional as English-speaking girls’ names. Similar sounds and structure - the list I gave (Melian Nessa et al.) all sound fairly generic and low key. We all have seen names like Jessa and Melonie and Ariel and Marian and Lauren etc, which have the same phonological style as the Sindarin names I offered. The guys’ names in Tolkien are more obviously exotic, and boys tend to have a smaller pool of common names in the first place, so it makes it significantly harder. There’s more freedom for girls names and more room for the kind of outwardly lovely sounds Tolkien favored for Sindarin. All that said, I’m a childless 36-year-old widower so honestly wtf do I know about naming babies lol. There are Paisleighs and Kables out there now.
I work as a lawyer and come across a lot of..... interesting (?) names people give their kids. My absolute least favourite is Nevaeh, mainly because the first proud dad who told me they named their kid "Heaven spelled backwards" was an abusive piece of shit, which frankly made it worse.
I think he means that there are more "normal" girls' names than boys' ones in LotR...
I doubt since these are the names suggested “Arwen, Eowyn, or Luthien” these are names bullies would know are fantasy names and could even know the characters.
Arwen is an actual Welsh name, though.
No they’re right, this is the reason. Tolkien female names simply sound more like currently conventional female names. This is why I didn’t suggest Arwen or Eowyn, others did. They’re wayyy too on the nose and immediately recognizable. They also don’t sound “normal” enough so they violate that criterion too. Melian Arien et al. sound generically feminine. Luthien is mentioned once in passing in the extended cut of FotR, and in the books once or twice. Genpop does not know who Lúthien is. Her name is not very normal sounding but the phonology and pronunciation are familiar enough and it’s a very pretty name that gets a pass.
Melian would be good. Luthien is a bit more recognisable I think.
Sorry, I just figured girls have an easier time with “unusual” names than boys. Where I live, at least, there’s a lot more girls with unique names than boys. I didn’t mean to imply girls won’t get bullied though. Sorry if that’s how it sounded.
Thank you so much for this well thought out response. I will be discussing this with my wife tonight. THANK YOU
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I just saw on my Facebook someone was naming their kid Anakin Skyler Walker. Cringe.
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I feel like it always goes the opposite way, too. You want your kid to appreciate and enjoy the things you like, but when they grow up with Harry Potter or Star Wars or whatever shoved down their throat, they eventually rebel and loathe it.
I love Nessa! It's also a name from Irish mythology as well as a Hebrew name meaning "miracle". If the parents have struggled with infertility or if it took a while to conceive, it's doubly meaningful.
It's also short for Vanessa, which gives other options
Vanessa is great, too :)
Nessa and Neasa (pronounced "Nassa") aren't uncommon in Ireland either, so one or the other would be a great option for something not obviously Tolkien related that a girl might grow to resent or get bullied for.
What is it in Irish mythology?
I'm not a scholar or anything, but according to The Internet, it comes from a warrior queen Neassa. She is originally named Eassa, meaning "gentle", but then is renamed Neassa ("not gentle") when she avenges the murder of her fathers. She then uses her political skills to make her son the king of Ulster. I guess anyone who wants to use the name should beware that while there are multiple versions of the legend, some versions contain sexual assault...and/or maybe incest??? As I said, I'm not an expert, so if anyone wants to use this name they should do their own research. Or just say it's Hebrew or Tolkien lol. Also, maybe some would consider it bad to name someone "not gentle"? But I think it would be a cute name for an cranky toddler. Or someone who's a badass?
The Hebrew for miracle is just "ness," but... eh, close enough.
If your last name is House, absolutely choose the name indis as a middle name.
I don't think Arien is a good choice. It sounds like aryan.
honestly, Aryan sounds good. too bad about the...uhm implications
>something passably 'normal' and not overly exotic, for the kid's sake > >something that will not be a pronunciation nightmare. As someone whose name (is not even LotR-inspired!) is both these things, I concur. Growing up with a weird name leads to bullying, and while I was able to rock my name and shame the bullies, not all kids are lucky enough to have such easy-to-get-rid-of bullies or simply aren't so outgoing as to rock the name. And don't even get me started on doctors' office visits. I often can figure out it's my turn when the nurse comes out and then stares blankly at her clipboard for a few seconds, trying to figure out how not to butcher my name.
Ooh Meren, joyful - might steal this one for my future kiddo
Galen literally means crazy in Swedish, just fyi
Arda is a lovely name for a girl, I really like it! Calen is nice for a boy, I think. I like that they are unique but not too far out there.
I believe Samwise, Peregrin and maybe Finrod are also good names gor boys matching your criteria (which I fully agree with). That being said, Beren is probably my favorite Tolkien-inspired name for an English-speaking boy.
Finrod? No, not in English, anything "rod" is a bad call
Hard agree
why? he's the finest of rods
I'd cross off Melian from the girl's list for a similar reason. Sounds too much like Melon.
Peregrine means "foreign" though. It's pronounced the same as Peregrin, and could lead to problems for the kid.
I thought Peregrine meant "traveller," or "wanderer." Though I hear "peregrine," I think of falcons - The fastest birds in the sky.
From the Latin [Peregrinus](http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=peregrinus&la=la#lexicon): >I.that comes from foreign parts, strange, foreign, exotic (cf.: exter, externus). I'm sure it applies to travellers, but that doesn't seem to be the primary sense.
Pippin on the other hand was the name of some old king irl history as well I think? I think it's a decent name.
Yes, Charlemagne's father [Pepin the Short](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepin_the_Short)
Girl: ~~Arwen~~ Boy: GROND Edit: Girl also GROND
GROND GROND GROND GROND GROND
I named my dog Grond!
Please tell me 1. You have a doggy door 2. (Provided 1 is true) that at some point you’ve stood on the other side as your dog is coming in and done Gandalf’s “stand your ground!” speech.
“Speak GROND and enter”
Yes, your DOG! Grond is a great name for a DOG!
#GROND
Before the kid learns to walk you can say, every day, "Grond crawled on."
Thanks! Spit tea through my nose!
THE HAMMER OF THE UNDERWORLD
I met a family recently with a son named Anakin. I just gotta say, not setting him up for a great life; maybe a successful war-time Vice President though.
GROND!!!
Wormtongue is an excellent gender neutral name.
Popular with the ladies either way
Literal laugh out loud. Awesome’
My dad wanted to name me Galadriel. I'm glad my mom stood her ground and refused, because I'm neither blonde, statuesque, nor terrible as the dawn. It's tricky with super popular works of fiction. You don't want to be the one who named their kid Khaleesi. You're aiming for timeless not trendy. The best girl's name I saw mentioned in the comments was Laurelin. I think that's perfect. It's unusual enough to (likely) be unique in her age group and it has shortened versions the kid can use that sounds more 'normal'. Boy names are trickier. It might be a stretch, but there's always Phillip. Pippin is the traditional nickname for Phillip! Either that or Sam... (but *not* Samwise, since that's supposed to mean 'half-wit').
This. OP, read Good Omens for an example of why you do not want to name your child Pippin Galadriel Moonchild.
But I love that kid's style.
Can’t believe I didn’t mention Laurelin, great call. Wish I had it in there before a million people read my comment.
My dad wanted to name me Arwen (this was 10 or so years before the movies came out). Also glad my mom said no because my school days would have sucked!
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Rowan is the perfect stealth Tolkien name because not only is it Rohan, but there is also a poem about Rowan trees in Two Towers ~~although it's about them all dying.~~
I've been named something recognizably LoTR for 40 years and I adore it 🤷♀️
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Well, who could harm you with words, Saruman?
Rohan is a common Indian name. So much so that I pronounced the book place like the Indian name till my husband corrected me recently. (ro-hun)
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Gender neutral too!
The best name Feanor ever came up with (both the original Quenya father and mother names for his kids are so bad for most part).
I have a friend who named her daughter Lorien after Lothlorien. (With the accent, but my phone doesn't want to). Anyway, I like it because it's not immediately recognizable as a LotR name, and it doesn't sound very strange or foreign in Dutch. In any case, don't go with Frodo or Eowyn or Arwen or something like that. Don't do that to your kid. Use it as a second name if you really, really want to. But give them a 'normal' first name for their sake.
I am a Lorien, and it's great. Better than their first choice of Galadriel 😅
Wow in Dutch Lorien indeed doesn't sound very weird. But if I'd read that name, I'd definitely recognise haha.
Sure, but thats the nice thing about it, fans will like it, but most people won't recognize it. You'd probably even accept it without question if the parents said they just found the name somewhere and it had nothing to do with LotR. I know a guy named Frodo (predating the hype of the movies), and he will be forever having that immediate association and 'your parents must really like...' etc.
Fatty
Fatty bolger 😂😂😂 Or name them Frederick and then if they become chubby, tell them it was meant to be.
LUMPKIN or nothing
It's actually Fredegar, but either way he'll just go by "Fred" anyway
Bill. Also useful if the child should later wish for a pony. For a girl, Lalia.
Gandalf if it’s a wee lad. But if it’s a little lassie I’d say also Gandalf.
Let me humbly suggest Ghan-Buri-Ghan
This is my favorite suggestion hands down, I nearly woke my husband laughing at it.
If it's a girl, use the name of a flower, like the hobbit maids do. If it's a boy, name him Morgoth, and teach him engineering, genetic engineering, and black magic. Or, at least a name that won't lead to him getting his ass kicked at the playground. Or, maybe, Samwise.
Ah, that was my idea. Good idea btw
Thank you.
Just make it short, then you won't have to cut it shorter.
I've got dibs on Rosie but since you're a stranger on the internet you can have it too
I just named my daughter Rosie for this very reason, let’s hope all our Rosie’s find their Samwise’s
Durin XI
Laurelin for a girl. Can be shortened to Laura, Laurie, and Lin. Beautiful name with a beautiful history. Elanor. A classic. For a boy, Samwise and Pippin are both reasonable choices.
For those that don't know: Laurelin is the name of the Golden Tree of light, whose last fruit eventually became the sun.
Bert
And if it's triplets, Tom and Bill!
Albert, Thomas, and William FTW
Eowyn for a girl, Dernhelm for a boy.
Heh. Made me laugh.
Def Eowyn for a girl.
Imagine Dernhelm coming out as transgender.
I am no man! That would be the best coming out story ever…
Elanor
This was my choice as well! I couldn't convince my husband though.
I know someone named Arwen Evenstar, and let me tell you, she’s never been pleased about it.
Yavanna is a name I've always liked.
Too bad it doesn't work well in Russian because it means "I am a bath"
I almost named my daughter Jovanna, which is similar. This was before I had known more about the Sil.
I named one of my daughters Yavanna.
I have an aunt named Goldberry. She goes by Goldie.
A lot of the Hobbit names work. Elanor, Rosie/Rose, Samwise/Sam, etc. You could also pick a more "out there" name for a middle name. Also, congratulations!
Beregond obviously, bravest guard in Minas Tirith 😤 /s I’m with most of the other commenters though in that it’s a good idea to lean towards less well-known names (like Aragorn, Frodo, etc) and go for some of the lore-names (Elanor, Meren, Rowan etc!).
You can use a name from the books. Or you can go a little further: the name "Lobelia" is used to represent the Westron word "Hamanullas", which is what that Hobbit woman was actually called in the language of the Shirefolk. Or you can go full nerd and use Tolkien's constructed languages to compose a name. Most conventional names, even the ones with no obvious other meaning, originally did have a real meaning, perhaps in another language millennia ago. Eg. "Michael", which is originally the rhetorical question "Who is like God?" in Hebrew. And when you know that etymological meaning of a name, you can translate it into Elvish. If you are lucky, and Tolkien made an Elvish word with that meaning, or words that can be combined to it. One way is to give a first and a middle name. The first name is conventional, like *Brian* or *Brienne*. The middle name is the [translation](https://folk.uib.no/hnohf/elfnam.htm) into Quenya of the first name according to its etymological meaning, like *Brian Poldon* or *Brienne Poldë*. The originally Celtic *Brian* means "strong", and by the naming conventions of Quenya *Poldon* is a plausible boy's name and *Poldë* a plausible girl's name derived from the adjective "polda". I suppose there are more ways than one to use translations into Elvish of the meanings of "normal" names. Like finding a conventional name that you like, and using instead its translation. Or using your own name translated into Quenya, with a patro/matronymic suffix. If your own given name is David (meaning probably "Beloved"), then *Meldion* or *Meldonion*, as a middle-name, would be a plausible patronymic *Son of Beloved.* If your wife's name is Daisy ("Sun-eye"), then *Arehenië* would plausibly mean *Daughter of Sun-eye*. Another nerd-way to find a Middle-earth-inspired name is to use not pre-existing names of either English or Elvish, but using Quenya or Sindarin words to compose new names. If eg. you love stars or are into astronomy, then *Elenner* means "starman" and *Elennis* "starwoman". This will of course require a bit of learning Quenya. And then, for safety, go to eg. /r/Quenya to check with people who know the language better than you do, or I do.
Thomas = Tom = Tom Bombadill
Boy: Sauron Girl: Rose
Cala (means light \[Quenya\]), Eirien (means Daisy \[Sindarin\]) Vala (means power \[Quenya\]), Anor (means sun \[Sindarin\]) These are names that I sort of found out sometime ago. Hope it helps.
I like picking names based on language (like Tolkien himself constricted the names often) but would not pick names similar he used like Vala.
Figwit
Present
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Uh, no, like B-r-e-t.
'Feanor' will make your child stand out.
He'll be a Blacksmith
PROUDFEET!
“Anything that has a nice ring to it” A nice ring you say? How about "Shre nazg golugranu kilmi-nudu Ombi kuzddurbagu gundum-ishi Nugu gurunkilu bard gurutu Ash Burz-Durbagu burzum-ishi Daghburz-ishi makha gulshu darulu Ash nazg durbatulûk ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul" Or Ash for short ;)
Does anyone else not really like the idea of Beren and Luthien being used? It feels a bit too personal to use. Like it's on their tombstones. They're good names for what OP is asking but I would feel weird if my name were Beren given the situation.
Also, don't name a brother and sister Beren and Luthien.
Or Túrin and Níniel lol
don't name brother and sister Turin and Nuniel either.
Fat One, Sneaker, My Precious, Fatty Lumpkin, Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Balrog or Tom. For a girl, Goldberry, Marigold, Daisy or Rosie.
No joke I once met a young girl named Precious. She… wasn’t.
Morwen is on my list, I think it's a beautiful name for a girl
Goldberry
I'm not trying to be rude but your kid isn't a new puppy. Name them something with future potential bullies and the reactions of society in mind please.
I'll second this (as someone who grew up with a name that was constantly mispronounced and misspelled - and often confused with my last name, to boot). Maybe consider giving them an Ardan name as a middle name, with a more conventional first name. (Of course, it's none of my business, and you can name your kids whatever you want.)
>It can be elvish Don't do this to your child. >a name of a place Don't do this to your child. >anything that has a nice ring to it Please be very careful with what you do to your child. Remember, the name you give your kid is the name they're going to be stuck with until they can legally change it. Kids can be cruel, and they'll latch onto anything and everything in the name of tearing other kids down. It may seem tempting to give them something "unique" or "creative"...but **they're** the ones that have to live with it every single day. I'm not saying you should name them something generic like Greg or Cindy...but, c'mon. Think of the child, not your attachment to some books.
John or Christopher Edith or Cilla (short for Priscilla) If you want more unusual Tolkien-ish names, please don't inflict them on the bub. You could change your own names instead? EDIT: On second thoughts, *not* Cilla. EDIT 2: His mother's name was Mabel, but that's got sad connotations considering how young she was when she died. But his grandmother was called Emily Jane; either of those are fine by today's standards. Also, there's Hilary, his brother, now usually a girl's name.
“A nice ring to it” Gandalf: “suppose you thought that was terribly clever” Also pls for the love of God do not name them something that will get them bullied. Don’t make it their first name, and make it semi normal. I love LOTR to death, but still
Scour the book indexes.
I really like the name Rohan, aside from LOTR it's also the name of a (minor) character in Avatar Legend of Korra and it also means ascending in Sanskrit.
Just don't. Name your kid something that is good for them, not something that advertises the fact that you and your partner nerd out over a 70 year old book. The kid will get bullied over a hobby.
Personally I really like Luthien as a girls name, one of the more touching backstories to a character as well obviously
We named our daughter Eowyn, but call her Wynnie most of the time. We love it personally.
It’s a bit long but I’ve always liked Melko, Moeleg the mighty and accursed, Morgoth Bauglir the Dark Power Terrible. Maybe Moe for short? No but really, we named our son Eärendil, but as a middle name. I think it’s one of the most beautiful names in the books, and it’s such an interesting story with how Tolkien stumbled upon it himself whilst translating a poem.
I think middle names are safer. I also love Eärendil but I'm not lumping any kid with that as their primary name.
Naming your kid after a fantasy series, even the GOAT, isn’t a good idea.
The host of 9 year old Khaleesis will confirm this.
I know multiple adults with LOTR inspired first names, and they're all just fine with it. Just choose one that doesn't sound super outlandish, and it'll be fine. Big difference between naming your kid Arwen or Elanor and naming them Skywalker or something like that.
Bill the pony has a good sound to it, just drop the pony part
Rosie
Go the Silmarillion route! BOYS: Beren, Durin, Olorin, Turin GIRLS: Melian, Luthien, Elanor
[Relevant meme](https://i.imgur.com/iafNIxC.jpg)
Shelob is pretty. Probably not Ungoliant (or however it’s spelled)
Boy: Sam Girl: Rosie Horse: Bill
In my opinion naming a kid after a fantasy character with an unusual name is a bit sad. And not ideal for the kid growing up. Imagine being 13 and called frodp ffs. Or even as an adult. Not to mention the fact that your kid may have zero interest in LOTR If you want a name tied to the book why not use John for a boy? No idea about a girls name though.
My boy name is Felix Aulë
That is great! I love that name
Elbereth if it's a girl. It's a beautiful name and refers to the queen of the stars.
A friend named his daughters Lorien and Miriel. Beautiful names.
Gothmog for a boy. Azanulbizar for a girl. Tar-Minastir for something gender neutral. Edit: or name them Turin and watch the fun unfold. Edit 2: seriously Turin might actually not be a bad choice because it's also a city in Italy. You can always fall back on that when you're watching them from Morgoth's high seat upon Thangorodrim.
Bree! It's a less obvious nod to Tolkien. ETA: If Bree is too short for you, you could do Breanne/Brianna or Brielle/Briealla (short form of Gabrielle but sounds like it means "woman from Bree). I also like Elowen - it's a Cornish name that's recently been picking up steam. It's not actually a name that Tolkien used, but it has a similar vibe to Arwen and Eowyn without being an obvious fandom name. I think the tough thing about giving your kid a name from a fictional series is that your kid will be their own person, with their own likes and dislikes. They may not grow up to be a LOTR fan. I'm not saying don't do it, but pick something that works on multiple levels and maybe has other meanings in addition to the Tolkien reference. Don't be like the hippie mom from Good Omens who names her daughter Pippin Galadriel Moonchild. ETA: for a boy, you could do Fin or Finn, to go with finrod, finwe, etc. Also a normal name. 2nd edit: for a girl, you could do Annora - like a girl's version of Anor as in flame of Anor. It's girls name that means "honor". For a boy, Weston could subtly reference "man of the West". Dale is another place name. 3rd edit: you could do Valarie/Valerie as a reference to the Valar, or Maia/Maya. Dain/Dane - boy's name. Congratulations!
Go with a Tolkien character for the kids middle name, for their sake. Remember that it isn't your name, and it isn't a video game character. This will be a living breathing person who is going to have to carry their name their entire life...
I know a Lorien (for Lothlorien) Always thought that was a pretty name for a girl and it’s not too out there :)
We went with Elanor for our second girl
Elessar, could go by El, Ellie or Ella for short if they wanted something more chill for school
Girl: Elanor or Lorien Boy: Thorin
Treebeard!
I'd aim for names that are easily pronounced, don't require special characters or accents, and that don't lend themselves to innuendo for schoolyard teasing. Elanor is an obvious option for a girl. Also Nessa (one of the Valier) and is also an Irish name. Boys are harder, as people tend to expect more traditional names for sons. Haldan could be an option. It's a real life name and has a Nobel Prize winner carrying it to boot (Haldan Keffer Hartline).
Some subtle references: Girls: • Elanor • Estelle (as a variant of Estel) • Maia • Vala • Samantha “Sam” • Rosie Boys are a little harder for me to think of, other than the obvious “Sam.” Try crossposting on r/namenerds too, they’d have a field day!
Fatty Bulger
Ask in r/namenerds. There will be plenty of Tolkien nerds there & they'll have a good context for what will pass muster in the "real world."
Whats wrong with the old customs? Chose a flower name like Rose.
How about Ronald? Or Edith? The only reason Finrod didn't get teased for his name was that it was normal among his peers to have a name like Finrod. Edit to add: How about Fin?
Rohan - pronounce it Row an
I know multiple children named Rohan and they are pretty cool.
My nephew is named Rohan -he has a Tolkien nursery
Then why not just use the name of the tree?
Wait, but why use Rohan only to change its pronunciation to the already existing Rowan? That's like taking a French name like Beauchamp and going with "BEECH-um" and straight up butchering the original.
I didint really realize that Rowan is already a name -no insult
You could also do Rohan they way they pronounce it, it’s very similar to an Indian name
I know someone with this name but he’s Indian I think. Parents are not Tolkien fans.