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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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In the website 123babynames Arwen is said to be of English origin and means muse - which means inspiration. This meaning is perfect for a Royal Lady.
(From Wikipedia.)