Elven Naming Traditions

Elves normally have two to three names in their lives.

1. The first name they receive, their baby name, normally has very little to do with the Elf that it is given to (266 UT).
   • This name has very little significance, and is more like something to call an Elf until you get to know him or her better. This is the name that one would address an Elf by if one didn't know the Elf very well.
   • The father gives the name; though the father doesn't necessarily make it. The father normally makes First Names for his sons, and the Mother normally makes First names for her daughters, but the father announces the First Name.
   • For a son, this name has something to do with one of the child's father's names; for a daughter, one her mother's names (214 MR).
   • Order of birth and heritage are often reflected in this name; though it isn't a family name or surname.
   • This name is also called the Father Name (266 UT).
2. The second name is incredibly important. The mother gives the name, and it reflects the personality, skills, or sometimes, the fate of the Elf. (The Mother can have a little bit of foresight and name the child from that.)
   • It is rude for someone who doesn't know the Elf personally to address the Elf with this name (215 MR).
   • If the mother dies or disappears before she can name her child, the father will name the child and will name for the same things that the mother would have. If no one is left to name the child, an outsider will name the child after the place the child is found (never using the actual name of the place, but using physical features to describe it) or perhaps the event that the parents are lost. Take Elrond for example. Elrond means "Star Cave"; he and his twin were found in a cave with a waterfall in front of it. His twin's name is Elros - "Star Foam", after the waterfall.
   • This name is called the Mother Name. The Elvish title for the first two names is 'essi' in Quenya (266 UT) and the second name is also called a Chosen Name (215 MR).
3. The third name is given by someone outside of the family or by the character to itself. It is also the name that spouses give each other when they marry (212 MR). It is a title of admiration and honor. This name could have something to do with the Elf's appearance, their profession, or with a deed that the Elf did.
   • They could have more than one of these, but that was very rare (266 UT).
   • This name is most often used in history, thus it is called the Lore Name, or 'epessë', after-name in Quenya.

Listing Names

When Elves list all of their names, they put them in a specific order (216 MR).

Second Name, First name, Lore Name(s) (128 SD)

• No family names among Elves. Elrond Peredhel's daughter, Arwen, didn't have Peredhel after her name. Peredhel is Elrond's third name, not a last name.
• Elves do not share a name when they marry. This comes from the fact that they didn't have family or 'last' names.
• Elves DO NOT name in Westron. Legolas's name was translated into Westron for those who didn't understand it. Legolas means Greenleaf. He is not Legolas Greenleaf.
• Elves are never named after any of the Valar, geological places, months, or dates. How would you like to be named something like God (I admit that that would be fun in our world, but Elves would find it degrading to the Valar, i.e. 'trying to be God'.), 7/4, Putsville, or September? Didn't think so.
• Elves don't use the names of other Elves. Names are considered possessions to the Elves, and to take someone else's name is considered theft (229 MR). There aren't two Arwens anywhere. Arwen was said to possess the beauty of Lúthien, but she did not have her name. (Arwen scolded Aragorn for calling her by Lúthien's name, even though it was very flattering (1033 LotR).) Names are personal things to Elves; they have relevance to who they are. It would be like stealing the identity of another Elf. The Father Name is the closest thing that an Elf would ever get to being named after another. Truly, the only time an Elf can have the name of someone else is if the Elf is that someone else reincarnated. (229 MR)
• Elves do not use nicknames or short versions of their own names. It would be rude to not acknowledge the Elf for what he or she was named as. It's as though you don't care enough about the Elf to say the Elf's name. You will never catch Elrond calling his sons 'Dan' or 'Ro', and Glorfindel might kill you if you call him 'Glorfy'. Elves gave Lore Names instead.
• If an Elven name is translated into another language, it is still the same name. Elves switch their names from one language to another as the languges change around them (214 MR). The only name that would never undergo any change is the Father Name (216 MR). Many Noldorin Elves faced this problem with their Quenya names. Galadriel's third name was Alatáriel (Telerin, given to her by Celeborn), but she changed her name into Sindarin to match her new Sindarin home.

A quick history of the Elven languages in Arda

Before the Sun and the Moon

• Common Eldarin was spoken by all Elves in Cuiviénen.
• The Vanyar traveled to Aman, and their language is called Vanyarin-Quenya.
• Then the Noldor traveled to Aman, and their language is called Quenya.
• Finally the Teleri started to come. A few decided to settle down in Lothlórien and named themselves Lindar. A few more stopped in Mirkwood and are called the Nandor. These two groups have the language Nandorin.
• Some more Teleri dawdled in the middle of Middle-earth, and their language is Ilkorin.
• A large amount of Teleri stopped at a lovely spot near the coast called Doriath, and their language is Doriathrin. They are called the Sindar.
• A few Teleri made it to Aman, and their language is Telerin.
• The Elves who stayed in Cuiviénen speak Avarin.

The First Age of Middle-earth

• Then, the Noldor were exiled from Aman for the Kinslaying of the Teleri. The exiled, Quenya speaking Noldor landed in Doriath. The king of Doriath learned of the Kinslaying, and forbade anyone to speak Quenya in his land. The Noldor learned Doriathrin, but changed it a tiny bit, making Noldorin-Sindarin.
• Then Doriath fell, and the Noldor fled to Eriador after a few minor stops at places that also fell, like Gondolin. They spoke Quenya when they had an excuse to, to remember Aman and their hope to return to it, but they also spoke Sindarin fluently. They named first in Quenya; then gave a Sindarin equivalent. (This is why there is two Legolases. One was actually a Noldo named Laiqualassë/Laegolas, and the other was the son of a Sinda. The two had no idea that the other existed.)
• The Sindar, fleeing the ruin of Doriath, gathered in Lothlórien and Mirkwood. The Nandor and the Lindar dwelling there quickly adopted Sindarin, but changed it into Silvan-Sindarin or Woodelven Sindarin, giving Haldir the accent that Frodo had such a hard time understanding, and the reason behind Legolas' hard to translate name. (ae->e in the Woodelven Sindarin.)

The Second and Third Ages of Middle-earth

• Effectively, all of the Elves in Middle-earth spoke Sindarin by the Second Age.
• By the end of the Third Age, Sindarin was the only Elven language being spoken in Middle-earth.

Where to go for Elven names:

• Quenya Name List
• Doriathrin Name List
• Exilic-Sindarin Name List (with Quenya equivalents)
• Woodelven Name List
• Sindarin Name List

Sources

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