There’s this weird misconception that translating a name should be a simple one-to-one process. That a translator should be able to just supply you with an Elven name, like you’re asking for the Sindarin word for “hat” (Carab, by the way). But, there’s so much more to it than that, which makes translating names one of the funnest and most challenging aspects of what I do.
This new series of articles, “Your Name in Elvish” will give you a peek into the process of translating names with a new series of articles about popular names.
Before I start, I want to give you a few thoughts to ruminate on. Names are deeply tied to the cultures that create them. Thus, trying to bring a name from one culture to another, even if that culture is fictional, isn’t simple.
In our culture, the meaning of the name is either forgotten or unimportant. What matters is the association with who had that name before you. Case in point – Adolf. It’s a lovely name, used to be used all throughout Europe. Then WWII happened, and that name was tainted with the association with one of the worst people in history. No longer was it the name of your grandfather, it was the name of the murderous bastard who tried to kill you and everyone you loved. Meanwhile, many “Ted”s can owe the popularity of their name to President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. The fact that Adolf is an ancient Germanic name that means “noble wolf” and that Theodore is a name from ancient Greek that means “Gift of God” isn’t known to most. What matters is the emotions such names conjure up in our hearts.
The Elves didn’t have this approach to naming. Tolkien designed their naming system to be more like the Ancient Greeks and Romans. The names had meaning, often deeply connected to who the person was. A name wasn’t just something to call someone, it was describing who they were.
All this musing is a way to say that I’m going to do a series of articles posted weekly where I break down the etymology of a popular name, then try to translate it into Sindarin and Quenya. The resources that I have are skewed heavily to English and European names, just because resources on those are often in languages I can read.
So, if you find that the ancient, forgotten meaning of your name doesn’t suit you at all, don’t be afraid to just go to the lists designed for naming your characters and choose a name with a meaning that you prefer. That is an entirely Elven way to approach it.
If you’d like your name translated in this series, comment below and I’ll consider it for a future article!
Hello, could you please translate Nicole/Nicolette/Nicky/Nicoleta into both Sindarin & Quenya? Thank you!
Hello, Fiona! I’d love to see my name, Nathan, translated to Sindarin and Quenya. Thanks!
Or in my case when it comes to naming conventions, I’m only Kyle because my mom wanted all of her kids to have a 4-letter name and decided Kyle was uncommon enough at the time. Not even named after anyone or for the name’s meaning.
I’m trying to translate a family member’s name but it’s in a different language so do I just translate the meaning? Also it’s a compound first name with two words and one name so should I combine them in the elvish name???
Could you perhaps translate the name Benjamin into both Quenya and Sindarin. I’ve translated it myself, but I’m not entirely sure I was correct…
I’m Victoria and I’ve found some conflicting translations for it before.
I would love to see Oakley translated into Quenya and Sindarin, please and thank you!
This translation likely wouldn’t benefit many people. Thus, I would understand if you decided not to take the time. Maybe I could pay you to do it is a personal translation? My name is Sevyrance, or ‘Severance’ I suppose. More commonly a last name that I believe originated from one living close to a prominent landmark. A large hill, a copse of trees, a river. Otherwise a “severance” of the land. But I’m not entirely sure. It would be intriguing to see what you came up with, though.
Can you translate Doug/Douglas please. Thanks!
Hi there! I’d love if you could translate the name Arianna thank you!
Hi there, could you possibly translate the name Kimberly to elvish? I looked it up and it means “from the meadow of the royal fortress”
thanks :)