Elven Names With Meanings
Real Tolkien elven names with sourced meanings, side by side with made-up ones, so you can tell them apart.
Elven names with meanings fall into two groups: names from Tolkien's languages, whose meanings are documented, and names invented for games and generators, whose meanings are made up. This guide shows both side by side, with sources for the real ones, so you know which kind you're looking at.
Two kinds of meaning
When a site says an elf name means something, it can mean one of two very different things.
Attested meanings come from a language someone actually built, with its own words and grammar. For elves, that almost always means Tolkien's languages, Sindarin and Quenya. An attested name is one Tolkien wrote, and its meaning is documented in his notes and letters. Scholars collect those in lexicons such as Eldamo, by Paul Strack.
Constructed meanings are made up for a game, a book, or a tool like this one. Someone decides that a sound means "bright" or "river" and builds names from those pieces. There's nothing wrong with that. It just isn't a translation, and it shouldn't be presented as one.
Every meaning in this site's generators is constructed, and it's labeled that way on each result.
The names and their meanings
Here are five well-known names from Tolkien with their attested meanings and parts, each linked to its Eldamo entry, followed by six names from this site's generators with constructed meanings.
| Name | Parts | Meaning | Source | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arwen | ar(a)- “noble, royal, high” + gwend “maiden” (as -wen) | Noble Maiden | Eldamo | Attested (Sindarin) |
| Elrond | êl “star” + rond “vaulted roof; heavens” | Star-dome | Eldamo | Attested (Sindarin) |
| Celeborn | celeb “silver” + ornā “uprising, tall” | Silver-tree; Silver Tall | Eldamo | Attested (Sindarin) |
| Laegolas (Legolas) | laeg “fresh and green” + golas “foliage” | Green-foliage | Eldamo | Attested (Sindarin) |
| Galadriel | galad “radiance, glittering reflection” + -riel “crowned maiden” | Glittering-garland | Eldamo | Attested (Sindarin) |
| Orllinula | Orl “bark” + lin “pool” + ula “frond” | Frond of the bark pool | This site, wood elf tables | Constructed |
| Lirdoilan | Lir “song” + do “deep” + ilan “horizon” | Deep horizon of the song | This site, wood elf tables | Constructed |
| Elavalia | Ela “star” + va “wise” + lia “lily” | Wise lily of the star | This site, high elf tables | Constructed |
| Naerrainor | Naer “true” + ra “ruling” + inor “noble” | True, ruling, noble one | This site, high elf tables | Constructed |
| Quilthinda | Quil “poisoned” + th “thin” + inda “dark” | Poisoned, thin, dark one | This site, drow elf tables | Constructed |
| Viruldar | Vir “sharp” + ul “sunless” + dar “fierce” | Sharp, sunless, fierce one | This site, drow elf tables | Constructed |
Notice how the attested names change their parts when they combine. In Arwen, gwend "maiden" becomes -wen. That shift is part of Sindarin grammar, and it's one reason you can't just stack roots and call the result Sindarin.
How the constructed meanings work
Each part in this site's tables has a short gloss. Some glosses describe something (bright, quiet, ancient) and some name a thing (river, oak, star). When a name is built, the describing words go first, then the last thing named, then "of the" and any other things.
Take Elavalia, pronounced EL-uh-vah-lee-uh. Its parts are Ela (star), va (wise), lia (lily), which gives the constructed meaning "Wise lily of the star."
The parts and their glosses were written for this site and don't come from any real language. That's why the meaning line on every result says "Meaning (constructed)."
Picking a name for its meaning
If the meaning matters to you, start from the meaning and work back. Decide on one or two ideas that fit your character, like a forest guide or a scholar of the stars, then generate a batch and scan the meaning lines for those words.
The D&D generator's class and feel filters help here, since they favor parts tagged for things like nature, lore, or shadow. If you want an attested Tolkien name instead, look it up in Eldamo and use it as written. Don't assume a name you found elsewhere is real Sindarin unless a source like Eldamo lists it.
Common mistakes with elven meanings
- Treating a generator meaning as Tolkien canon. Unless a lexicon lists the name, the meaning is someone's invention.
- Gluing roots together and calling it Sindarin. Real Sindarin compounds change their sounds when they join, as Arwen shows. A root-built name is "built from attested roots," not an attested name.
- Copying a famous name. Arwen, Elrond, and Galadriel are Tolkien's characters. They're great for learning how names work, less great for your own original elf.