Blogging into Mordor: Finding the perfect name for your Elf

Looking to create an elf in the Lord of the Rings Online but not sure what to name it? Want to avoid naming it "Legolazs" or "Elronde"? Have you unfortunately already used one of these names but are looking to change it? You're in luck! This article will show you how to find a decent, lore-appropriate name for your elf. And if you are not playing LOTRO but are looking for a name for an elf in World of Warcraft or a similar game, this guide might be a handy tool.

Since elves are a very popular race in LOTRO, and there are a lot of famous elves in the lore that many players wish to emulate, finding a decent name can be difficult. It is important to remember to follow the naming rules of the game, which means you cannot choose a name that is close in spelling or sound to any of the actual characters from the books (such as Legolas, Arwen, etc). If your name is too similar to one of these characters, it will be changed. A good way to make sure that you are not accidentally stealing a name from the books is to use it in a Google search or consult a book such as the Complete Guide to Middle Earth.

Unlike the Race of Men, the elves of Middle Earth do not have different names depending on nationality. No matter where an elf is born it will follow the same standards and sets of rules. In the majority of cases elves take names from the language of Sindarin, one of the two major languages spoken by elves. This leaves a great opportunity for role-players to show who their characters are using their names, something which is not available to most of the other races. Since the rules for elves are generally straight-forward, this guide will list most of the prefixes and suffixes suggested by Turbine as well as show their meaning. It will also guide you in finding a good surname and give you a list of things to watch out for when putting together your name.

Throughout their lives, elves may obtain more than one name. They receive one name given to them by their fathers, which might have similar features to other elves in the family (example: Fëanor is the brother of Finarfin, Elrond is the father of Elladan and Elrohir). They receive another name from their mother, a more personal name that they use among their close friends. Later in life they may receive a name that reflects upon their deeds and life experiences. Finally, they may choose a name for themselves. Obviously this gives you a lot of opportunity to be creative with your elf's name. Which type of name your elf chooses to go by is up to you.

Male Elves
Male elves have Sindarin names. While quite often famous elves in the lore of Middle Earth have meanings that stem from certain parts of their names, this is not true for all elves. Just like in real life some parents want their children to have names with meaning, and others just want the names to sound pretty. There are many other possible words to make your name out of, but here are the most common recommended by Turbine. Note that some prefixes and suffixes have a meaning that is either unknown or non-existent, so they are not included in this list. If you do some digging of your own you should be able to construct a suitable name for your character.

Common prefixes for male elves are:
Adan- man
Aeg- sharp point
Am- up, upon
Aran- king
Bara- fiery, eager
Beleg- mighty
Celeb- silver
Curu- skill
Dag- slay
El- star
Fela- cave
Fin- tress
Gal- light
Gil- bright
Hal- lift
Lin- pool
Mal- pollen
Pin- little
Tar- tough, stiff
Thurin- secret, hidden
Ul- odor

Common suffixes for male elves are:
-adan man, Seen in words such as "Dúnadan", which means "man of the West"
-adar father
-bor trustworthy, faithful male person
-born hot, red
-dir male person
-dor land, region
-had throw
-ion son, son of
-las leaf
-or above, over
-randir wanderer, pilgrim
-rod meaning unclear, possibly "noble"
-rond arched roof
-thalion hero
-thir expression, face
-uil seaweed

Female Elves
Unlike most races, female elves share the exact same naming conventions as male elves. While some of the prefixes and suffixes are different, there is no separate method for naming females from males.

Common prefixes for female elves are:
Adan- man, but possibly referring to the race of man, encompassing both genders.
And- long
Ar- high/noble female
Celeb- silver
Dol- head
Edhel- elf
Fan- cloud
Find- tress
Galadh- tree
Gil- star
Hir- master, lord
Ior- course
Ir- when
Mel- love
Mor- dark, night
Nim- small, white
Sael- wise
Tinu- spark

Common suffixes for female elves are:
-anor sun
-dis bride
-el star
-iel daughter of
-gil star
-raen enlaced
-reth possibly another form of "-eth"
-riel possibly another form of "-iel"
-uilos ever white, small white flower
-wen female

Surnames

Like the majority of people in Middle Earth, elves do not take surnames such as the hobbits or the men and women of Bree. Generally their first name is followed by a title such as the name of a parent or an achievement earned in battle. Therefore it is generally preferable for an elf to forgo a surname and use a title instead. However, there are exceptions. Many elves who wish to refer to a parent as part of their title may choose to do so in Sindarin. This means using the "-ion" and "-iel" suffixes. Remember that "-ion" means "son of" and "-iel" means "daughter of". If your elf is male, he should never use the "-iel" suffix, and if it is female, never use the "-ion" suffix. For instance, "Legolas son of Thranduil" would become "Legolas Thranduilion" in Sindarin. If you are using this method for your first name you should not use it for your surname.

You may also use Sindarin to choose a surname that means something to you or your character. However, that is up to you and your own knowledge of the language. You may find several guides to the language on the internet, and the LOTROforums are also a good resource.

Things to look out for:

• The letter "k" does not exist in Sindarin! Use the letter "c" for the hard "k" sound, and the letter "s" for, well, the "s" sound.

• Sindarin has the vowels "a, e, i, o, and u". It also has the vowel "y" which does not exist in English. To make this sound, make an "ee" sound but round your lips. Remember that when using the letter "y" you are not make the "ee" sound, but the "ee with rounded lips" sound. This is not intended by most people. If you want the "ee" sound, use the letter "i". Long vowels are marked with an accent, however since it's hard to type out names with an accent in-game it is probably more polite to your friends to go without it (and if you are caught using an accent it might be changed for breaking the naming policy).

• While the "-wyn" ending sounds the same as the "-wen" ending to most people, the former is reserved for women of Rohan (and possibly Dale), so remember to use the "-wen" ending for your female elf.

• Remember that the suffix "-ion" means "son of" and "-iel" means "daughter of" when naming your elf to avoid possible gender confusion and funny looks later on.

• Keep the name short! You should shoot for a two-syllable name, but three is fine as well. Once you hit four syllables you might want to consider shortening it. A lot of players fall into the trap where they want a complicated elf name that means something, but it ends up being a complete mess. Elf parents give their children beautiful names that are pronounceable. No elf would name their child "Ghaladraheldros" or "Arlonhidrondiel". It is, however, very rare for an elf to have a one-syllable name, so remember to keep it to two syllables minimum.

• Looking for a name for your World of Warcraft Night Elf or Blood Elf? Replace the ending "-wen" with "-wyn" and the name will usually fit.

While if you are a role-player it is fun to create a lot of names with interesting connotations for your character, keep in mind that the vast majority of people you encounter will not know or care. If you're agonizing over the correct spelling or trying to get the morphology of your name right, just remember that if it isn't perfect, nobody will notice. If you are happy with the name, the three or four people that you meet who know enough about Sindarin to know your name isn't perfect aren't going to care. So just pick a name that you enjoy and don't worry about what other people think!