I don't think this is a bad name--although I prefer the spelling Arwyn, however I do NOT think that Arwen from LotR is a great namesake. She is the exact embodiment of a character whose whole personality is being the 'love interest', and if you were going to name your daughter a LotR name, I HIGHLY advise naming her Eowyn instead, because Eowyn is so much of a better character. This is in no way supposed to be hateful or negative towards anyone NAMED Arwen, it's just a point regarding naming a girl after Arwen from LotR.
This is my name and I love it so much! I have a twin sister and her name is "Raven", our names remind me of an aesthetic called dark academia. Some people think that Arwen is a masculine name but it actually isn't, however, it still looks good on a boy.
― Anonymous User 1/22/2021
3
Gagging on the meaning of this name. "Noble maiden?" Bah! The pronunciation is annoying as well. Her nickname might be Earwig. Or Erwin.
Lúthien's descendant Arwen was called Evenstar, the Evening Star of the Elves, meaning that her beauty reflects that of Lúthien Tinúviel. Lúthien was first cousin once removed of Galadriel, whose mother, Eärwen of Alqualondë, was the daughter of Thingol's brother. The story of Lúthien and Beren is mirrored in The Tale of Aragorn and Arwen. (From Wikipedia.)
Arwen is a name used by Tolkien but he didn't originate it. My sister traced a lead on Ancestry.com and found an early colonial ancestor named Arwen who was married to a native American in Massachusetts. I thought that strange at first but I have read that, among the native tribes, women had more rights than among the Puritans, so maybe not so strange. I assume the ancestry is true since my lineage turned out to be one percent native American.
My daughter Arwen was born in 1986 and I loved the name the first time I heard it. I've never read a Tolkein book and had no interest. I didn't want my daughter to be one of 5 Sarah's, Catlin's, Shawana's, etc in her class. The name suits her perfectly and until Lord of the Rings movie came out I had never heard of another Arwen. There also was an Arwen doll that was released with the movie that looked very similar to my daughter, which was very nice.
Even though it has a different origin, I think it could also be used as a feminine form of Owen, since both names are Welsh, even though Owen derives from John in Welsh, and Arwen, as a feminine name, does not.
I named my daughter "Arwen" after having read Tolkein's works as a young teenager. She personifies the character - highly intelligent, strong, and kind. The name's Welsh meaning "fair one" suits her as well. I carry a unique name, myself, and I wanted to give my daughter a name that you couldn't find on a pencil in WalMart!
Hi there. I'm Arwen I'm 16 and I LOVE my name. I have to admit it does get mispronounced and misspelled A LOT. I've always been very different, I'm a tomboy and I spent my first 3 middle school dances playing volleyball because I could. Anyways, having a very unique name has helped me be myself so thanks mom and dad.
Okay, so my name is Arwen. I’m 15 years old and when people do ask me about my name I sort of feel a little embarrassed. Don’t get me wrong, I love my name but when people ask “Why did your parents name you Arwen” I don’t really want to say “They named me after an Elf princess from Lord of the Rings” so I’m in a bit of a pickle here. :)))
Arwen is an ancient girls' Welsh name, meaning fair or fine.Tolkien adopted this Welsh name for his character, Arwen, and adapted the name to the elvish language.The spelling Arwyn, with a y, is a male name in Wales, and there are several prominent Welsh male politicians with this name.My mother gave me this name in the 1960s, as an early fan of Tolkien. I also have a brother named for a Lord of the Rings character. But Tolkien certainly did not invent the name.
I would have never guessed in a million years that this name is apparently a females' name. In my opinion, it come across as pretty masculine and suited for a boy. A geeky\nerdy boys name.
― Anonymous User 1/29/2016
-10
I really wanted to name my daughter this because I think Liv Tyler is really beautiful and she played the part of Arwen perfectly. Unfortunately, my wife hates this name.
My 2nd daughter gave me a beautiful grand-daughter in July of last year & named her Arwyn. Not many people care for the name, as they do not know the meaning behind it. But we love it! There aren't too many African-American babies with that gorgeous name, but I am very proud to be Grand-Mother to this one!
My name is Arwen. I want to say to all parents who are considering this name: I love it! Go ahead and use this name. I am 30 and have yet to meet another Arwen in person. I receive compliments on my name almost every day and I love how unique it feels to me. It is simple, short, and... beautiful. My only complaints would be that my name is often misspelled as "Arwin" (HUGE pet peeve of mine) and also that most people who get the reference assume I love Lord of the Rings. I like Lord of the Rings, but I don't love it. It is definitely more my parents' interest.
My name is Arwen. It's a love/hate relationship... Growing up it caused issues with pronunciation and spelling.. I was born in the 70's, far before the movies were ever made... Therefore I named my own daughter Sarah for a much more easier childhood but a little homage as this also means princess in Hebrew. I wouldn't change my name for anything, however it has not been without its challenges..
― Anonymous User 9/9/2014
4
But I appreciate all the comments from those that really like the name...
― Anonymous User 9/9/2014
4
I loved the name Arwen so much I named my daughter Arwyn. We switched the "e" for a "y" to make it look a little more femine. Her nickname is "Whinni" and we adore the name and it is fitting for our sweet little nature loving girl.
The name Arwen is NOT made up from Sindarin. JRR Tolkien did create a Sindarin meaning for the name, but he got the name from Old Welsh. In Welsh, Arwen means "fair" or "fine" and has a masculine form - Arwyn.
This is largely a guilty pleasure name to me - mainly because people hate using names from literature that had no meaning before they were used. These names are said to be meaningless, but I still like them.It does have meaning to me, because Arwen is one of my favourite characters in both the books and films of Lord of the Rings. I'd consider this as a middle name, as long as I didn't have to write it down on forms, and middle names don't really matter, so she wouldn't get teased.
I don't think this name is terrible, but it's not one of my favorites. When I hear this name I think of Arwin, the hotel maintenance man from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. I prefer Arden for a girl.
I loved this name even before I was exposed to The Lord of the Rings. It's unique but not pretentious or difficult to pronounce.The only downside I could think of is that Arwen is (arguably) one of Tolkien's least interesting lady characters.
My daughter's name is Arwen, I wanted a short name, easy to pronounce and spell, but still unique. Of course her name is always spelled and pronounced wrong, or people think the name is Arwin and I have a son (in a pink dress) I really love her name, It's just perfect. We named her after the LotR movies, my Husband and I are big fans of.
― Anonymous User 8/17/2010
5
I love this name. I saw this name on a nursery list at church once, and gave a mental high five to the parents. Tolkien geek or not, this is a pretty name that deserves a look at.
I love this name for its sound and its meaning. My mother's name is Patricia which also means "noble lady" so I feel that naming a daughter Arwen would be naming her for my mother and not necessarily for a LoTR character.
― Anonymous User 8/3/2009
4
Arwen is a beautiful name. I prefer it in a rhotic accent (one that pronounces its 'r's); the way I say it (Ah-wen) sounds too slippery. 'Arr-wen' has a prettier and more substantial sound.
Don't laugh, but this name sounds masculine to me despite its strictly feminine usage. Maybe I'd feel differently if I had actually seen a LotR movie or read one of the books, but to me, the name doesn't sound feminine at all.
It sounds really Welsh to me. If Tolkien hadn't beat me to the punch, I'd have used it in a story. It reminds me of squirrels, but probably because of Arven (a squirrel from the Redwall books).
I love this name. Probably because it's my name. Until recently I wasn't able to find it in any name books. The only meanings I know of are; Noble Maiden and Muse.
I love the name Arwen, LoTR is a great trilogy but I don't think you can judge it entirely on that. It is a beautiful name in it's own right. It rolls of the tougue nicely.
I love the name Arwen. It is just so beautiful. And I love LoTR! Coming from LoTR, I actually prefer Eowyn over Arwen. Arwen is a lovely name, but I think Eowyn is an even prettier one, and is a much stronger character (Arwen had one line in the entire book trilogy, not counting the appendix.) Arwen or Eowyn, both are beautiful! I think it would be nice to have two daughters named Arwen and Yvaine. Both have to do with Evening Star or Evenstar. Arwen, from LoTR, was the Evenstar of her people, and Yvaine, from Stardust, was actually an Evening Star (hence the name-Even, Yvaine)! Yvaine is also beautiful.
A beautiful name. Elegant and mysterious and still very pretty. There was something mysteriously striking about the actress that played Arwen in "Lord of the Rings" and this compliments the name I feel. I think it would make a great middle name to go with an equally elegant first name like Catherine, Olivia or Amelia.
I have named my only daughther Arwen, most people have no clue about the name and ask "is that a family name." I love the name and the meaning behind it.
I absolutely love it! I love how it's the name of an Elven princess in The Lord of the Rings. I would consider using it, if I could get someone besides my sister and me to like it, and it is very uncommon. I just think overall it's a very pretty name.
I am highly considering naming one of daughters this name just because it has this odd essence of beauty and alluring spirit about it. I don't know, maybe I watched the LOTR too much. =/ Well, Arwen was a very interesting elf. Anyway, I have no doubt that this name has great potential to be in the top 50 names one day. Most people seem to like it. Although, if I had one bad trait to pick out on this name it would be that it sounds very similar to Erwin. =[ Still an awesome name.
First of all, Arwen Undomiel is Sindarin for 'noble maiden' 'evenstar.' Tolkien based his languages off of many 'real' languages, especially Welsh and Finnish.
Means "noble maiden" in the fictional Quenya Elvish tongue.Arwen wouldn't sound out of place in real-life England or Wales in the Middle Ages, however, as many Old English and Brythonic names have a similar form, for example Ædwen and Ceridwen. Interestingly, Ar = 'Mercy' and Wen = 'Hope' in OE.
Beautiful, beautiful name, and beautiful meaning too--but everyone associates it with Arwen Undómiel from Tolkein's Lord of the Rings. I do not mean that an association with Tolkien's character Arwen is a bad thing--I simply mean that if you name your daughter this, everyone would think you named her after the character.
You are mistaken in thinking that the name has an historical origin in Wales. Much like Eowyn, it is a fictional creation of Tolkien's that draws upon and bears a deliberate resemblance to real Dark Age names.
Contrary to the previous poster's comment, Arwen does not mean "evening star." Evenstar was the surname of Tolkien's character Arwen, not the meaning of her name. In Sindarin, the "ar" prefix means "noble, " and "-wen" means "maiden," so the BtN definition is correct.
― Anonymous User 4/21/2006
5
I have twin daughters called Arwen and Freya (both names from this site) and everyone always comments on how pretty and unusual the names are.
I didn't know that someone was called Arwen in real life. But I found out today that there are three in Denmark.
― Anonymous User 1/16/2006
3
There's one in Maine, too. Anywhoo, it is a lovely name.
― Anonymous User 1/7/2007
3
Arwen spelled with a "y" (Arwyn) instead of an "e" (Arwen) gives the name an extra hint of beauty and elegance. The simple, yet dramatic, "e" to "y" alteration allows this casual, however exotic, newcomer to explore the beauty and uniqueness it naturally bears. Beautiful name both ways!
― Anonymous User 12/5/2005
1
I actually find that to me it looks more beautiful and elegant with the 'e.' Maybe this is because It is similar to the 'wyn/wen' endings of Welsh names (unrelated to this one, but it reminds me of it), and 'wyn' is always the masculine form.
― Anonymous User 5/27/2007
4
I love this name! It's beautiful, yet unique.
― Anonymous User 11/11/2005
4
The "-wen" suffix reminds me of Welsh "(g)wen" a bit; Ceinwen, Bronwen, Gwenhwyfar, etc. The "Ar-" prefix could be taken from the Welsh "araul" (serene (of a sky)), and "(g)wen" would mean "white, fair," in Welsh. Thus "Clear and fair". Then again, "ar" is Welsh for "on".