Naming Traditions

One of the most important aspects of building a character in Tolkien’s world is the character’s name. The name of the character speaks of the character’s history, culture, personality, present, and occasionally, its future. Many fan writers try (and fail) to do this, so here is a few pages devoted to helping authors find Tolkienesque names for their characters.

Elven Naming Traditions of Valinor

The naming traditions for the Elves in and from the Holy Land, like the Vanyar and the Ñoldor.

Elven Naming Traditions of Middle-earth

The naming traditions for the Elves living in Middle-earth, like the Sindar, Legrim, Lindar, and Nandor.

Númenóreans’ Naming Traditions

The naming traditions for the Númenóreans and their descendants, like Aragorn’s people, and the Gondorians.

Rohirrim’s Naming Traditions

The naming traditions for the people of Rohan, which surprisingly aren’t too different from those of the Númenóreans.

Hobbits’ Naming Traditions

The naming traditions of the Hobbits, which are very different from everyone else in Middle-earth.

Dwarven Naming traditions

The naming traditions of the Dwarves, which are also quite different from others in Middle-earth.

After reading up on the culture’s naming traditions, go to the Name Lists and choose a name; or go to the Translation Requests page for guidelines on how to request a name.