Finding a Fabulous Middle-earth Name

by Tinw

There are several ways to choose a unique Elvish name and stand out from the six thousand Legolas737s and Arwen233s.

Some Pitfalls to Watch Out For:

Names with numbers or symbols like < , _ , ~ , etc look cool as a computer name, but look odd in a story. "i shall diminish, and pass in the west, and remain galad_riel578" doesn't quite have the same impact.
Avoid using the names of well-known LOTR characters. It gets confusing when you call, "Hey, Aragorn!" and six people turn their heads!
Avoid websites that claim to "find your Elvish name" unless you want a name that really means something like, "hair-net withered fish ever". All the name-generator websites I've seen work by plucking bits of words randomly from a list.

Ways to Select an Elven Name:

One easy way is to take a name from the web pages of someone who studies Tolkien's languages. Here's Taramiluiel's page of Elvish names.
Another easy way is to find a name in the index of one of the books such as The Silmarillion. The index usually gives the meanings of people's names. Look up someone, and see if he/she has a good story! But remember, "famous" names like Thingol, Galadriel, Fëanor and Lúthien are very popular, so you'll probably want to pick someone obscure.
Another possibility is to use an Elvish word as a name, although actually it was rare for Elves to have names like "Stone" and "Fox". Go to Ardalambion for a list of common vocabulary words. Note there are TWO well-known Elvish languages; Sindarin is the common one in Middle-earth, and just about every Elf we've ever heard of has a Sindarin name. Quenya is like Latin and used only by the Elves of Rivendell and a few others for matters of lore.
You can go to our own Middle-earth Languages Forum, where there is a Translation Desk thread. There you will find people who have studied Tolkien's Elvish languages and really can translate names for you. Please be patient, though-- they have other things to do too, so they may not respond instantly!
Finally, you can BUILD a real Elvish name! Use a good Sindarin dictionary here is the most widely-used one -- or pick from the wordlist below to find words to combine. Note that the second word in a combination may change spellings slightly according to the rules mentioned below. Once you've come up with a possible combination, go to the latest Translation Desk thread in the Middle-earth Languages Forum, and ask someone to check it, since the rules dictating the spelling of compound names are a little quirky.

To get you started, here's some "roots" in Sindarin, the spoken Elvish language. Note that the accent – changes to ´ or disappears in compounds.

êl = old-fashioned word for "star"
anor = "sun"
ithil = "moon"
naur = "fire, flame" usually shortened to nor or sometimes nar in compounds
nen = "water"
loss = "snow" (tends to drop final s)
lass = "leaf" (as in Legolas; again, final s tends to drop)
lith = "ash, sand, dust"
rî = "crown, garland" ( shows up in Galadriel, Celebríen)
roch = "horse"
thor- = "eagle"
orn = older word for "tree"
hîth = "mist"
loth = "flower"
lind (final d tends to drop or change to n) = "song"
luin = "blue"
ruin = "fiery red"
thin- = "grey, dusky, pale"
laeg = old word for "green" (Legolas' name uses it)
fain = "white" (often shortened to fin)
dun or annun = "west"
rhun = "east"
harad = "south"
for(n) = "north" (final n tends to drop)

The following words are tricky. The first letter will usually "mutate" if it's following another root in a name (for example, lass "leaf" + calen "green" = "Lasgalen". This is where double-checking with someone in the languages forum will help you.

m changes to v if you stick the root later in a name
mal(l) = "gold" (tends to drop final l)
malen = "yellow"
meleth = "love"
mel(l) = "dear" (tends to drop final l)
môr = "dark"
mîr = "jewel"
meril = "rose"
mith = "grey"
maethor = "warrior"

s changes to h if if you stick the root later in a name
sarn = "stone, pebble"
sîr = "river"
sûl = "wind"
síl from verb síla- "shine, glitter"

c changes to g if you stick the root later in a name
calen = "green"
celeb = "silver"
coth = "enemy"
caran = "red" (Caradhras comes from this)
cair = "ship" (often shortens to "cir" in compound)

g drops out if you stick the root later in a name
galad = "light"
galadh = newer word for "tree"
gîl = "star"
gond = "boulder, big stone"
gloss = "dazzling white" (tends to drop final s)
glass = "joy" (final s tends to drop)

t changes to d if you stick the root later in a name
tir = "to keep watch, guard"; tirn "watcher"
taur = 1. "forest" 2. "lord"
tinnu = "evening, twilight"
tinu, tinw = "small star, spark, ember"

b changes to v if you stick the root later in a name
breg = "wild, fierce, violent"
brethil = "birch tree"
beleg = "great, mighty"

ar, ara- = "royal, noble", usually at the start of a name
wen = "lady", usually at the end of a name
iel(l) = "maid, daughter", usually at end of a name
ion = "son of", usually at the end of a name
eth = this ending may simply indicate an adjective, but a separate root means "woman" and is used to make some words feminine

the following are masculine words:
randir = "wanderer"
rochir = "rider"
faron = "hunter"
nathron = "weaver"
Taramiluiel suggests these for feminine versions: randís, rochiril, faril, nathril.