Baby Name Poll Results

I like Arwen. I think it has a definite LOTR connection and although the movies might not stick around the books have proven to have incredible staying power so I don't think I'd count on the connection disappearing. On the other hand, she's a pretty good character so if it doesn't bother you too much I don't think it's anything to worry about.

Anwen, yes. Arwen, no.

Anwen is a Welsh girl's name. It's has history and meaning ("very beautiful") to it. Arwen is from Lord of the Rings. Yes, that's somewhat literary, but not enough in my book to make it a classic.

There's another Welsh girl's name, Eirwen ("EHR-wen") that you might like. It means "white as snow." Then again, maybe the LOTR association is what you love most about Anwen. I get that too. Good luck! :0)

I had a friend in grad school named Arwen. She'd be in her 30's now. From what I gather, her parents were LOTR fans, but she was named far before the movies that widened the popular knowledge of that name. I can't say it's my favorite name, just from the sound. I prefer Elowen. But having known someone with the name makes me see it as somewhat "normal" and not so weird.

The name Arwen has the same meaning as the name Anwen 'very fair or very blessed' from the prefix 'ar - ' (very) and the suffix '- gwen' ( fair, blessed) in welsh. Same as 'an-' and '-gwen' in Anwen. It's a feminine name. The masculin form of Arwen is Arwyn. It's also a real welsh name with a long history, that goes back far before LOTR. I don't know why people keep on believing that it's invented by Tolkien. The author just borrowed the name from the welsh language and gave it a Sindarin meaning 'noble maiden'. But he also remarked that the name means 'greatly blessed' in Welsh. It is a real welsh name, equally genuine as Anwen.

From Old English Arwen translates as Hope (Ar) and Mercy (Wen)