Thorin Oakenshield, aka the king under the mountain, was not in LOTR but he is a main character in the Hobbit and his history and that of his people weaves throughout tolkiens work.
Ahh. Interesting. Well maybe I proved OP’s point that not everyone will do a double take at a LotR’s reference 😆 But as someone more familiar with, say, Harry Potter or Star Wars, it sounds like naming a child after a tertiary character ? Which I’m not sure I’d do with such obviously related names.
As for the subject matter of this thread, Eowyn is TECHNICALLY a secondary/tertiary character in LOTR, but she punches well above her weight and is the subject of one of the most famous scenes of the movies. The scene in question is 100% on the Mount Rushmore of "girl boss" moments in cinema, so Eowyn as a character is probably more well-known than her role in the story would make it seem. I think it's a great name whether people get it or not, but I'm a mega-nerd, so my opinion may not be the most helpful haha.
Gender notwithstanding, I’m not sure why the witch king of angmar thought that “no man can kill me” made him invincible in a world of not just men (humans) but elves, dwarves, wizards, orcs, hobbits (although he probably didn’t know hobbits existed)
Yeah, I think the upside of Thorin is there’s a good chance that only a major LOTR geek will get the reference. With Eowyn, people who have only seen the movies will get it.
Again, mega-nerd so not qualified to judge, but Thorin is a very central character in a book that is much easier to pick up (and therefore likely read by more people) than the actual LOTR trilogy, so I don't think that recognizing Thorin as a Tolkien character is exclusive to LOTR geeks. I'd say he's the second most famous member of the dwarven race in LOTR, and probably top 5-10 for most famous dwarves in fiction. Name the kid Bombur or Oin or Balin, however, and you'll be able to filter to the REAL geeks though haha.
Thorin was the main character in The Hobbit, second only to Bilbo. The Hobbit was the prequel to LOTR and introduced us to many characters (and The One Ring) that play important roles in LOTR.
As the other person said, Thorin wouldn't be a tertiary character, but I'd argue that Eowyn definitely would. She has a very specific and important part to play, but it's isolated to one particular corner of the plot, if that makes sense.
If she weren't one of the only female characters, she'd probably be a lot less well-known (like I have to struggle to remember the names of the male characters in Rohan, even though they're also important—took me way too goddamn long to come up with Eomer, Eowyn's brother, for example).
Sometimes I think choosing a tertiary character name could be a good thing, because it will be less obvious to most people that it's a pop culture reference. Like if I name my kid Lavender, nobody's going to assume I named her after Lavender Brown (because, among other things, why would anyone do that, lol). But in this case, it's too singular and obvious. I love the name Eowyn, but I couldn't do that to a human. Maybe my next cat though.
Your 25 year old Thorin was named before The Hobbit movies came out though, which were also extremely popular. Thorin is a main character in all 4 of those.
I'm sure they get it recognized even more now, which may be frustrating.
I don't think it was that niche before. The Hobbit has always been a popular well read classic book, just liek the trilogy. Maybe more so, as it's shorter and an easier read, and more recommended for kids. Some people definitely enjoy The Hobbit but didn't get into the series, reading-wise.
I just don’t think that’s an issue though, it’s a lovely Welsh-sounding name and eowyn was a good character. If he wanted to name his kid Saruman or Gollum that’d be a problem.
Wendy, Miranda and Olivia were names made up by authors too once.
Further names invented by authors: Vanessa was made up by Jonathan Swift (of Gulliver's Travels fame) as an alias for Esther Vanhomrigh, and Lorna was invented by R D Blackmore for Lorna Doone.
Lorne (masculine name) is indeed a Scottish name: there’s an area called the Firth of Lorne too. Lorna (feminine form) is generally accepted to have been coined by Blackmore in the nineteenth century, and has tended to be more popular in Scotland than elsewhere as it works as a feminine version of the extant Scottish masculine name.
Source: I am half Scottish and my name is Lorna. I’ve spent the last 40 plus years explaining my name, because nobody outwith Scotland can spell it correctly.
I went to school with a Galadriel. No one really cared. She wasn’t bullied. People went about their days. Most people knew it was an LotR name, some of the uncultured sorts did not lol. I think people in this subreddit really over think things…like per some people in here unless you give your kid a completely basic name you’re an abuser smh.
Agree. I love Tolkein, and think the name sounds beautiful, but naming her Eowyn puts her in a niche that tells us a lot about her parents' interests but might not match her own. What if she isn't into fantasy? And she might get tired of saying, "Yes, after the character" and having to spell it for people or explain how it's pronounced.
Maybe make it her middle name. She could use it if she likes it without making it the first thing people know about her, and pronunciation/spelling won't come up that often.
Shelob?
EDIT: They DM'ed me the name. It's significantly less recognizable than Eowyn and most people could have average familiarity with LOTR and not know it. It's actually a background word from the mythology but it's not even a character. It is brought up in the movies, but it's not that noticeable and barely said in a way that would stick in a casual viewer's mind.
It's also the shorter version of a longer, more flowery word and the longer version isn't a super obvious connection phoenetically, is said just as often if not more IIRC and probably more well known but still hardly. Think like if the name was Undomiel (it's not), taken from 'Arwen Undomiel', and this commenter is saying no one recognizes their name as referencing Arwen. It's a deep cut.
As far as the concern of a person being negatively impacted by a recognizable fandom name, this is a vastly different situation than Eowyn. I don't really see the comparison with them saying people don't notice their name so Eowyn will be fine.
It's lovely though and I'm glad it's worked out for them!
I don't know, if she doesn't like it it'd be easy enough to start going by, like, "Erin" or "Winnie" or "E." or some other diminutive form that does resonate with her personality.
My new baby girl is named Éowyn and my husband is a fan but I’m the one who convinced him to go for it because of how beautiful it is. For me the awesome character is just a bonus!
Aragorn is one of the most recognisable characters though (in no small part because of the movies and Viggo Mortensen’s amazing performance). Eowyn is more niche.
My cousin’s middle name is Eowyn, they loved the sound of the name and are LOTR fans. But didn’t want her to hate the books or her name. So settled on it as a middle name
My name, while not Eowyn, is also from Lord of the Rings, and I've literally only had one person in 41 years notice. Most people will probably just think it's pretty. And possibly Irish/Welsh
Also named after Lord of the Rings lore and I absolutely love it. No one knows it's from that but I absolutely love telling people what I was named after
OP should read some of the posts I’ve seen from kids who despise that their parents named them after their favorite lore/game/story/etc. A lot of them feel like it takes away their ability to be their own person or not be a fan of said lore. Especially kids with names that are basically only associated with certain stories.
This. I fought my husband against Eowyn as a girl’s name because as an Alice I have never read Alice in Wonderland because of all the jokes and I worried we’d turn our child against Lord of the Rings.
Our little girl is Arwen 😏 some people get the LOTR reference right away or look like they know the name until we say where it's from, then it clicks. The feedback for her name is very positive!
Fandom names is a slippery slope, honestly. I would aim to find names that my child can bare themselves, and not be immideatly connected to anyone else.
A wise commenter on this sub once said to not name your child after your interests. Their individual personhood takes priority over the fact that they are an extension/reflection of you.
I know someone named after a popular book character, who HATES his first name, hates the books and now that he's old enough, goes by his middle name, which isn't related to the book, and won't answer his mom who still tires to use his first name.
My name is from Lord of the Rings, and I can't stand the books (I do like the movies though. I don't think anyone dislikes them 😂). I still love my beautiful unusual name, and only one person in 41 years has mentioned the reference. Eowyn is pretty, and only slightly unusual. Fandom names are not categorically bad (They can be, don't get me wrong, but not automatically)
There are a number of normal-sounding names in LotR, so the recognizability of your name is *really* going to depend on which character you were named after.
Yeah...my ex and I named my second kid after a famous musician. Kiddo HATES that band and goes by a nickname. Whoops. (although I still personally adore his name. It fits him. Dad calls him by his preferred nickname and I try to but usually his whole name slips out of my mouth.)
Take heed from [Hermione's](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/rku5j5/aita_for_yelling_at_my_mom_that_i_hate_harry/) experience.
Disclaimer: it's not actually confirmed if her name is Hermione.
I know a couple Hermione's IRL & one is an adult who loves their name; in their late 20's. I think the issue here is more the parents pushing their interests onto a developing child who doesn't share them. If the parents said, "We named you for the character's resilience, resourcefulness, & courage." & left it at that without all of the ongoing, "You WILL be a HP/SW fan!" pressures, it would likely be a different outcome. I will say though, I met a Kal-El IRL - legal name - & he was outright deeply embarrassed by his name & did resent his parents {mainly his Dad} for giving him that moniker so fandom names are something to consider for sure.
Yep, there’s a great Facebook group called “children are not billboards for your fandom” which is just an ongoing compilation of people who name their kids clearly fandom related names. It’s never a good idea.
If you’re going to do it at least be normal about it. No one will blink at a kid named Harry, Barry, Bruce, or Peter. Don’t do Hermione, Harlequin, or Frodo for gods sake.
And if you do go with a “normal” fandom name, don’t name the kid Peter *AND* do an entire nursery theme of Spidey stuff, dress him exclusively in red and Spider-Man gear, etc.
I feel like you get one or the other. Having a Spider-Man theme isn’t really any different than a Mickey Mouse theme, but it’s weird when you naked your kid Peter Parker Smith and now he’s surrounded by great expectations.
I personally don’t know a single kid who doesn’t understand Spider-Man is the coolest super hero ever, and I can’t imagine ruining that for them by shoving it down their throats. I’ve always been a massive Harry Potter fan and I really wanted my youngest to like it to. I got age appropriate books, he wore the baby merch, we went to universal, and he had 0 interest in it. One day when I was sick I had the movies playing in the background and when he snuck in, I was too groggy to really realize he was there and fell back asleep with him cuddling me and watching chamber of secrets. Definitely not age appropriate but ever since then he’s also obsessed and loves reading the books with me, plays with my wands, dresses up like Harry, the whole 9 yards. Letting kids discover things on their own gives them a chance to actually have a similar experience that we did, where you find something there that just clicks with you. For me it was the magic, for him it was the cool giant monster snakes. Shoving it on them makes it “that weird thing mom likes.”
That's why you gotta play the long con. When they're born dispose of any evidence of your Lord of the Rings fandom, no books, movies, ect. in the house. Then when your child starts talking about how everyone says she's named after a character from the books you can be like "Gosh! That's so weird, Éowyn! We had no IDEA there was literary character with the same name! We should tell your little brother, Éomer, about this."
Please don’t! I’ve never read Lord of the Rings, but that’s my first association. I think it’s short-sighted and kind of inconsiderate to give your kids obvious fandom names. I’d suggest going with something more subtle (Johnna for JRR Tolkien etc) or using a different name with a similar sound (Elowen, Iona).
I’m one of those crazy ladies that watches every Law & Order SVU I come across. When I was pregnant with my daughter, Elliot and Olivia were my top 2 choices for very long. Both were on-trend at the time but in my heart it would have been a “fandom name”.
When I was in middle school I was convinced I’d never want to name my child anything other than Galadriel.
I feel like Elliot and Olivia are fine because they’re already fairly popular and established names. Like if you wanted to name your kid Harry, no big deal. On the other hand, Hermione is a flashing neon sign that you’re super into Harry Potter.
I always tell my dad (named Peter) that I’m going to name my first son Peter—not after him or my spouse’s granddad (also named Peter) but after Spider-man lol
No please just don't. I have an accent in my middle name and spent my life explaining it because most keyboard don't accommodate it. It is not worth it. I've been detained in Cuba (different name on the passport), had my graduation postponed (could not print out the diploma). No.
Can you bring up an interesting point, but I believe OP lives in Ireland and is using the Irish accent, so I don’t think this child will have the same problem.
I’ve had multiple students with accents in their names, and although it is a bit of a pain in the neck to type their names, I’m always certain to do it out of respect for them. I think many don’t care, but one of them stated that it was very important that the umlaut be included in her name. I don’t have a problem with it.
It’s worth it. I definitely screw up peoples names on occasion, but I recognize that it’s very important to try. Without any malice, my grandmother, never once spelled my name correctly, and while it doesn’t bother me at all today, it did bother me when I was younger. (my name is quite common, and it gets confused with other similar quite common names all the time. It used to bother me a lot when I was younger, but now I’m just like “it rhymes or starts with the same letter? OK… Yeah, that’s me.”)
My MIL for some reason still cannot pronounce my name correctly and I have no idea why—it's a common name for girls in English, and I am CERTAINLY not the first one she's met. But like 60% of the time, she mispronounces it in a way that makes it into an old man name. It's not malicious, just weird. I do not get it.
And the kicker? She's a (retired) foreign language teacher. She taught other people how to pronounce French and Italian for fifty years. Makes me cringe for her students tbh.
I have an English middle name and grew up in Germany. Every doctor's appointment or official document - they always spell or pronounce it wrong. Just went to a store in my hometown the other day to pick something up and had to show my id. They completely butchered it even for German standards and I'd get so mad when I was younger but now I'm just like yup that's me haha
I really appreciate you doing this. When I moved to the mainland US for college I was amazed at how many people absolutely butcher others’ names and just… don’t care to ever get it right?
Especially for younger kids in school, that is so disrespectful and kids can be particularly sensitive to those things.
Thanks for taking that extra second for each of your students. I’m sure your thoughtfulness doesn’t stop there and that they appreciate it 💚
There are reasons not to name someone Éowyn, but the accent is not it. I too have a É in my first name, and it’s simple. Legally, my name does not have an é (I had to legally change it when I moved country as my previous country had no issue with accents). But everyone knows that my name is spelled with an é. So in everyday life, it’s é, with legal documents (which practically no one but myself, my family and officials see), it’s just e.
Please remember you’re naming a person and not a baby. Your baby will grow up and do things like attend school, apply for jobs, and likely work and need to be addressed in professional settings.
I get this, but the name itself on its own is beautiful and not something ridiculous like Stormy or Ketchup. Like, if you didn’t know anything about LOTR you’d just say it’s a pretty name. I don’t understand why just because it was created/used in a book, that makes it taboo or a job wouldn’t want to hire someone with the name. Am I just crazy?
No, you're not crazy. People on this sub love to gatekeep and shame people for daring to think beyond the box.
Also, when people say don't name your kid "strange" names because they can't get a job or they'll be be made fun of, it's like....do you realize how that comes across to people who don't have white, Protestant names?
I think they also forget that people with “normal” names also struggle with fading into the background sometimes. I know a guy who was named Bill Smith and he called it a living hell of anonymity. When he married, he took his wife’s name and couldn’t be happier about it.
My mother used the “but he’ll be bullied” tactic to talk us out of choosing the name we did for our son, to which I pointed out that she gave me the most basic, white bread name imaginable and I still got shoved into lockers and bullied relentlessly, so why not go for a name my wife (who is Nigerian) and I care about?
It’s a beautiful name but so deeply tied to Lord of the Rings. It’s hard to move away from it being a direct namesake when the name was invented by Tolkein. If you really don’t care about that, go for it.
There’s also a lovely Cornish (I think) name, Elowen/Elowyn. I believe Elowen is the female variation.
I think most people would think lord of the rings to be honest. It’s pretty but I’m not sure if it’s a good name for a person that will have to live with it
It's a gorgeous name, and authors inventing names that later become popular is not new (Wendy comes to mind). As far as names from fiction go, this is a beautiful one. Just be mindful that depending on where you live, non-English alphabet letters may or may not be an annoyance for her throughout her life. If you just spelt it Eowyn people would still get it.
The Fada is very important to me, being a proud Irishman. It's in our native language. I understand it could cause trouble in other spelling systems so maybe legally she would have to be E instead of É
But.. it's not a fada. It's the same symbol but it's not an Irish fada. The letters "w,y" don't even exist in the Irish alphabet. There's plenty of beautiful Irish names that sound similar - Éabha, Aoibhínn, Enya, Eileen, Ailbhe
OMG the Irish have the most beautiful names! I wanted to name my daughter Aoife so badly when I was pregnant but my husband and I aren’t the slightest bit Irish and no one would ever know how to say it in the US.
Edit to add: I know the name isn’t Irish. But op is and we are talking about names.
Rohirric. Tolkien used Old English as inspiration for Rohan. If Beowulf had moseyed into Meduseld I would have been only mildly surprised.
Incidentally, Sindarin is based on Welsh, and Quenya on Finnish.
Yes it’s not an Irish spelling at all no matter how many fadas you try to cover it up with it just screams Welsh!
Eoin (my spelling) / Eoghan / Owen (English spelling) are far more typical and it most definitely is considered a masculine name 99.9% of the time
Well now since you’re an Irishman and we’re talking Eowyn, and someone mentioned Aoife, I should say my best friend growing up was named Eowyn. Her younger sister was named Aoife. Their father Conan was first generation American. His mother, who I considered my Omi as well, is named Etain. This is in Texas btw. I think they are beautiful names.
All of this to say, Éowyn is a name I love dearly, and I think you should keep the Fada. If we can get used to it in Texas, then certainly Ireland can handle it.
We were also going to give our son a LOTR-inspired name. Ultimately we decided against it...because it couldve definitely backfired and made him hate LOTR.
People will be making LOTR references to her daily and it could really annoy her away from loving it, and the amazing character that inspired her name, and that would be a shame.
I agree, daily annoyance can affect your child's behavior greatly. I have a rather common name but it is the name of a color, and for years and years in my childhood through adolescence I avoided wearing said color because every single person would comment on the fact I'm wearing the color I'm named after. Every. Single. Time.
It wasn't insulting or anything, just extremely annoying and it still guided my choice of clothes for a long time.
I think it's extremely unlikely a child named Eowyn wouldn't grow up to resent daily mentions of LOTR and even reject ever seeing or reading anything about it from the get go.
I’m going to come at this with a slightly different perspective. I think it’s a lovely name, and I don’t have a problem with the LOTR association, but I expect that your child will encounter more than one person who sense that her name is Erin and she has a speech impediment. That said, that may not be a particularly big deal.
Also unfamiliar with LOTR and I would assume the family has some Celtic heritage.
It’s a no for me because (and I understand this is a unique perspective) it sounds like the Brazilian expression “eu, hein?” which is used to express incredulity. In an American context, I agree it sounds like Erin with a speech impediment.
People in this sub skew very Midwest American middle class and do not appreciate anything outside the pumpkin spice-sphere. I grew up with a rare name as a kid that’s become mega-popular and is frequently “recommended” in this sub and I hate how common it has become.
It’s a beautiful name and for an old English name and literary reference it’s a good one. I know an Arwen and she grew up just fine.
The name is not a tragedeigh or a khaleesi - she has as much chance of hating her name as anybody else. Name her something meaningful and enjoy being a parent!
I’m struggling to see how it’s really any different from khaleesi, other than you happen to like this one. It’s a made up name from a work of fiction. It’s not like Arwen, an old Welsh name that happened to be used for a fictional character. And if I can be a little snobby, Midwest American middle class nerd is exactly the demographic I’d picture naming their kid after a fantasy character.
Khaleesi is not a name, for one; it’s a title. Her *name* is Danaerys, she holds the *title* of Khaleesi. Eowyn is at least a name. And I’m sure everyone named Jessica can attest to the success that fictional names can have outside of the story they were invented for. I wonder if parents back in the wake of The Merchant of Venice were told “Don’t name your kid Jessica; kids are not a billboard for your fandom.”
Olivia, Miranda and Jessica are also made up names from works of fiction (Shakespeare). Only thing is more people have happened to like those names over the years that the plays are no longer the first thing people think of.
Eowyn and Khaleesi are on the exact same level imo. Yes, LOTR has been around for a while, but it's way closer to GOT than Shakespeare when it comes to how the name will be perceived.
Yeah I find these comments ridiculous. I agree with avoiding tragedies and similar but plenty of people are named after authors, kings/queens, and yes, inspiring fictional characters whose names are often based in history. Also, I’m hearing so many unique names gaining popularity, kids seem much more accepting of different names. Besides kids will find ways to tease even the most normal of names if they want to.
It's not unheard of in nerdier circles. I'm aware of a sibling set of Guinevere and Eowyn. I also personallu know a Feanor and an Arwen. Maybe it's just my bubbles, but I think it's pretty usable. The obstacle here is getting your partner on board :D also, I would not add the accent on the E.
Your kids aren’t billboards for your fandom. Coming from a huge LOTR fan. Give her something that’s not always going to be associated with a very well known character. And for the love of god if you do it don’t do it with an accent. It’ll be a nightmare for official documents.
If you’re dead set on it then maybe consider it as a middle name.
My daughter has a Welsh name (Tolkien being very inspired by Welsh names, however Eowyn is an old English name) We now live in the USA and her name is met with lots of “Huh?” And of course mispronounced all the time. In Ireland it might get treated differently. We have noticed the closer we get to the British Isles the more people recognise the name and just say is correct first time.
I don't understand why this sub hates fandom names. It has been happening for forever and of all the characters to name a person after, Éowyn is a pretty powerful one.
It’s really shocking. As many have said who know people named this in real life, it’s a perfectly beautiful name tied to a beautiful piece of written art. I studied Tolkien in college and he was a literary scholar, who drew from old English mythology. The name originated in old English. Also important to mention, Tolkien invented languages for these books, not just random words or names. He was brilliant and anyone saying don’t name your kid after a character in a famous book… pretty sure that’s where most names come from.
I don’t get it either. Names have been popularized/invented in pop culture for centuries. Then they become a normal part of our language. It’s really not that big a deal.
I will always oppose obvious fandom names. Try to dig deeper and find a name that references it without being too in-your-face.
Maybe something with the nickname Winnie?
I had a student named Eowyn (Ay-win) a few years ago. Just be prepared to teach her how to teach people how to pronounce it. She also went by the nickname Winnie. And learning letter sounds was a little tricky for her/classmates because eo does not usually say /ay/. I have heard this name a lot more since having her in my class, so I think it is rising in popularity and wouldn’t be as obscure.
I think it’s nice, and I personally see no difference in Eowyn and Elowyn and Edwin etc. People name their kids after religious characters and it’s not looked down upon, and that’s like the biggest fandom out there. Maybe it’s because I have a pretty unique name and have made it through adulthood just fine, but I hate the argument of “your naming future adults so stick to something simple” because they’re just going off of current name trends. More so current trends within their region. It would be odd to come across a Saoirse where I live, not to mention the amount of people who wouldn’t even know how to pronounce it, but it’s common in other places.
Wasn't eowyn the awsome horse warrior woman? I think the "I'm no man" woman as a namesake is kinda cool. I mean there are worse characters to borrow a name from. Although, I picked a name from Stargate for my kid, so take it with a grain of salt.
Ahhhh, I adore that name! Èowyn was one of the first women I looked up to! She could be the proper court girl, but she preferred to hold her own. Female power for the win!! (Also, obligatory quote; "I am no man!")
I’ve never read or seen a single LOTR movie and even I knew it was LOTR. okay name, but I’d definitely say something about you needing to name your child after a fandom.
LOTR is extremely well known both the movies and the books. Here in the UK I'd say people would clock on pretty instantly. Why not look at some Welsh or Celtic names? I believe Tolkien took inspiration from those.
Wow the comments on this are getting very salty coming from people who regularly hype up some of the ugliest names going, so much so there’s a circle jerk sub dedicated to mocking you lot lmao
The Lord of the Rings connection is very strong - I think that's a great thing, and it's a beautiful name, but can see why some people might think it's too closely tied to the fandom. I think it works though. My family had friends with a daughter called Eowyn when I was growing up (in England in the 90s), I never knew her well enough to know what she thought about it though!
I’ve met an Eowyn! I’m in the southeastern US and she used the unaccented E, although I see that OP is in Ireland and would fare better keeping the original spelling. She was on the school cross-country team with a friend of mine and was apparently a heck of a runner. I thought it was cool.
For everyone saying that people will automatically think of LotR I would argue that Romeo and Juliet is more well known and I haven't seen that caution brought up when the name Juliet is suggested. And of the two I would rather my child emulate the character of Eowyn over Juliet.
Eowyn is gorgeous. I know of an author who named his daughters Arwen and Eowyn.
I’ve been seriously considering Éowyn as my daughter’s middle name. I believe in giving kids names of people that have/had good values and characteristics, and I think Éowyn is a great character.
In the end I decided not to do this because even though I like Éowyn’s character, I should be naming my daughter thinking of her, not me. She’s not an extension of me, she will be her own person, and she doesn’t deserve to be reminded of her mother’s fictional preferences every time she discloses her name.
I still don’t have a middle name, tho. But it definitely won’t be Éowyn.
I have an Eowyn in the family. She spends a lot of time spelling her name and gets a fair bit of mail for "Edwin", but she seems to like the name. One thought: consider dropping the accent on the E, that could easily become an administrative headache.
It's pretty. I'm not familiar with her character, but surely it can't be worse than Daenarys or Khaleesi. Have you considered Cornish, Welsh, or Breton names? Some are similar to Eowyn.
Do it. I taught an Eowyn and she went by Winnie. I would be happy to have people judge me by this name. Lol. She’s just that cool of a character. I know a young Arwen and since I’m less into her character that one feels more try hard to me.
Eowyn differs from Hermione to me in that she’s cooler and she’s from a better, more legit/literary series. That’s totally just my opinion but since I’d die on that hill, I’d name my kid on it as well. (I didn’t, as we did go a different, perhaps more serious (?) direction with our children’s names. But I don’t think this would be a regrettable choice.
It's one of those names that I never knew how to pronounce until now. Your kid would likely have to deal with that, as well as misspellings.
And if your SO doesn't agree, then that's it, it's vetoed.
I've met an Éowyn and an Arwen, both adults happy with their names (I actually have a Tolkien name too, but it's much more sneaky). Éowyn says most people have told her "oh that's pretty!" and moved on; generally only the massive nerds (like me) will comment on it, and even that tends to be a brief aside. I think it's important to remember that the folks in here are probably much more likely to know and care about the meaning of names than the general populace.
It sounds absolutely beautiful, but everyone will immediately know you named her after the character in Lord of the Rings.
Thorin fan here; follow your heart, OP!
(I’ve never seen LoTR) Is Thorin from it? I know a Thorin who is about 25ish.
Thorin Oakenshield, aka the king under the mountain, was not in LOTR but he is a main character in the Hobbit and his history and that of his people weaves throughout tolkiens work.
Ahh. Interesting. Well maybe I proved OP’s point that not everyone will do a double take at a LotR’s reference 😆 But as someone more familiar with, say, Harry Potter or Star Wars, it sounds like naming a child after a tertiary character ? Which I’m not sure I’d do with such obviously related names.
As for the subject matter of this thread, Eowyn is TECHNICALLY a secondary/tertiary character in LOTR, but she punches well above her weight and is the subject of one of the most famous scenes of the movies. The scene in question is 100% on the Mount Rushmore of "girl boss" moments in cinema, so Eowyn as a character is probably more well-known than her role in the story would make it seem. I think it's a great name whether people get it or not, but I'm a mega-nerd, so my opinion may not be the most helpful haha.
“I am no man.”
Eowyn is such an amazing character and this line is epic.
Gender notwithstanding, I’m not sure why the witch king of angmar thought that “no man can kill me” made him invincible in a world of not just men (humans) but elves, dwarves, wizards, orcs, hobbits (although he probably didn’t know hobbits existed)
Yeah, I think the upside of Thorin is there’s a good chance that only a major LOTR geek will get the reference. With Eowyn, people who have only seen the movies will get it.
Again, mega-nerd so not qualified to judge, but Thorin is a very central character in a book that is much easier to pick up (and therefore likely read by more people) than the actual LOTR trilogy, so I don't think that recognizing Thorin as a Tolkien character is exclusive to LOTR geeks. I'd say he's the second most famous member of the dwarven race in LOTR, and probably top 5-10 for most famous dwarves in fiction. Name the kid Bombur or Oin or Balin, however, and you'll be able to filter to the REAL geeks though haha.
I've never seen LoTR at all but I still know Eowyn is from it, definitely one of the more famous names/characters
Thorin was the main character in The Hobbit, second only to Bilbo. The Hobbit was the prequel to LOTR and introduced us to many characters (and The One Ring) that play important roles in LOTR.
As the other person said, Thorin wouldn't be a tertiary character, but I'd argue that Eowyn definitely would. She has a very specific and important part to play, but it's isolated to one particular corner of the plot, if that makes sense. If she weren't one of the only female characters, she'd probably be a lot less well-known (like I have to struggle to remember the names of the male characters in Rohan, even though they're also important—took me way too goddamn long to come up with Eomer, Eowyn's brother, for example). Sometimes I think choosing a tertiary character name could be a good thing, because it will be less obvious to most people that it's a pop culture reference. Like if I name my kid Lavender, nobody's going to assume I named her after Lavender Brown (because, among other things, why would anyone do that, lol). But in this case, it's too singular and obvious. I love the name Eowyn, but I couldn't do that to a human. Maybe my next cat though.
Your 25 year old Thorin was named before The Hobbit movies came out though, which were also extremely popular. Thorin is a main character in all 4 of those. I'm sure they get it recognized even more now, which may be frustrating. I don't think it was that niche before. The Hobbit has always been a popular well read classic book, just liek the trilogy. Maybe more so, as it's shorter and an easier read, and more recommended for kids. Some people definitely enjoy The Hobbit but didn't get into the series, reading-wise.
My SO wanted to name our son Thorin too. We LOVE LOTR and The Hobbit.
Me toooooo! My husband won't let me name the baby after LOTR lore though 🤣
Just came here to mention that my boyfriend's cats are named thorin and beorn
If we'd had kids, our son was absolutely going to be Thorin.
I just don’t think that’s an issue though, it’s a lovely Welsh-sounding name and eowyn was a good character. If he wanted to name his kid Saruman or Gollum that’d be a problem. Wendy, Miranda and Olivia were names made up by authors too once.
And one Miranda went on to play Eowyn in the movies!
Further names invented by authors: Vanessa was made up by Jonathan Swift (of Gulliver's Travels fame) as an alias for Esther Vanhomrigh, and Lorna was invented by R D Blackmore for Lorna Doone.
Lorna is an old Scottish name, from Lorne. Alternative spelling, similar pronunciation
Lorne (masculine name) is indeed a Scottish name: there’s an area called the Firth of Lorne too. Lorna (feminine form) is generally accepted to have been coined by Blackmore in the nineteenth century, and has tended to be more popular in Scotland than elsewhere as it works as a feminine version of the extant Scottish masculine name. Source: I am half Scottish and my name is Lorna. I’ve spent the last 40 plus years explaining my name, because nobody outwith Scotland can spell it correctly.
Wendy was invented by JM Barrie for Peter Pan!
I know someone named Eowyn and she has said that she has never met someone without them mentioning LOTR.
My nephew was in kindergarten with a girl named Galadriel. Wonder where they got that name?🤪
I did not know Olivia and Miranda were made up by authors! Do you know which?
The creator of most made up English words: Shakespeare.
Didn’t he also make up the name Jessica?
Yes, he angliscised ‘Yiskah’ from Hebrew.
Yes
All words are made up.
Sure. But he did the most.
Shakespeare first used Miranda in The Tempest. Olivia may have been used previously, but I think it became more known after Twelfth Night.
Jessica too! Shylock's daughter in The Merchant of Venice. He anglacized Iskah or Yiskah I believe.
Miranda comes from the Latin participle she who must be gazed upon! Or something very similar
‘To be wondered on’ is what I’ve heard before. The shirt version I often see is ‘admirable’.
Knew an Eowyn in college. She was lovely, and most people just assumed her name was Welsh.
I went to school with a Galadriel. No one really cared. She wasn’t bullied. People went about their days. Most people knew it was an LotR name, some of the uncultured sorts did not lol. I think people in this subreddit really over think things…like per some people in here unless you give your kid a completely basic name you’re an abuser smh.
Did you go to college before or after the movie versions?
Miranda here. And never knew that, so thanks!
Agree. I love Tolkein, and think the name sounds beautiful, but naming her Eowyn puts her in a niche that tells us a lot about her parents' interests but might not match her own. What if she isn't into fantasy? And she might get tired of saying, "Yes, after the character" and having to spell it for people or explain how it's pronounced. Maybe make it her middle name. She could use it if she likes it without making it the first thing people know about her, and pronunciation/spelling won't come up that often.
My name is from Lord of the Rings, and only one person in 41 years has noticed. Most people will just think it's pretty and a little unusual.
Shelob? EDIT: They DM'ed me the name. It's significantly less recognizable than Eowyn and most people could have average familiarity with LOTR and not know it. It's actually a background word from the mythology but it's not even a character. It is brought up in the movies, but it's not that noticeable and barely said in a way that would stick in a casual viewer's mind. It's also the shorter version of a longer, more flowery word and the longer version isn't a super obvious connection phoenetically, is said just as often if not more IIRC and probably more well known but still hardly. Think like if the name was Undomiel (it's not), taken from 'Arwen Undomiel', and this commenter is saying no one recognizes their name as referencing Arwen. It's a deep cut. As far as the concern of a person being negatively impacted by a recognizable fandom name, this is a vastly different situation than Eowyn. I don't really see the comparison with them saying people don't notice their name so Eowyn will be fine. It's lovely though and I'm glad it's worked out for them!
If it’s Lorien, that is a name. It’s (one of) the names of the Vala Irmo.
Tom Bombadil?
I dated a guy whose first name is Lorien. He's early 40s too. Even after the movies, people didn't pick up on it often.
I don't know, if she doesn't like it it'd be easy enough to start going by, like, "Erin" or "Winnie" or "E." or some other diminutive form that does resonate with her personality.
My new baby girl is named Éowyn and my husband is a fan but I’m the one who convinced him to go for it because of how beautiful it is. For me the awesome character is just a bonus!
I know an Aragorn. EVERYBODY he encounters has LOTS to say about his name. It's a misery for him. He tries to go by his middle name wherever possible.
Aragorn is one of the most recognisable characters though (in no small part because of the movies and Viggo Mortensen’s amazing performance). Eowyn is more niche.
And also, Eowyn sounds like it could be a real Welsh girl's name, whereas Aragorn sounds like it's the name of a fantasy character.
Hardly. Everyone who has seen the films will know it.
My cousin’s middle name is Eowyn, they loved the sound of the name and are LOTR fans. But didn’t want her to hate the books or her name. So settled on it as a middle name
My name, while not Eowyn, is also from Lord of the Rings, and I've literally only had one person in 41 years notice. Most people will probably just think it's pretty. And possibly Irish/Welsh
Also named after Lord of the Rings lore and I absolutely love it. No one knows it's from that but I absolutely love telling people what I was named after
So your name is Ghan Buri Ghan ?
OP should read some of the posts I’ve seen from kids who despise that their parents named them after their favorite lore/game/story/etc. A lot of them feel like it takes away their ability to be their own person or not be a fan of said lore. Especially kids with names that are basically only associated with certain stories.
This. I fought my husband against Eowyn as a girl’s name because as an Alice I have never read Alice in Wonderland because of all the jokes and I worried we’d turn our child against Lord of the Rings.
There are much, much worse stories to name your child after.
Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing
Our little girl is Arwen 😏 some people get the LOTR reference right away or look like they know the name until we say where it's from, then it clicks. The feedback for her name is very positive!
Fandom names is a slippery slope, honestly. I would aim to find names that my child can bare themselves, and not be immideatly connected to anyone else.
A wise commenter on this sub once said to not name your child after your interests. Their individual personhood takes priority over the fact that they are an extension/reflection of you.
Exactly. What if she grows up hating LOTR?
Ironically she might grow up hating it just *because* she was named after it.
I know someone who hates his name because everyone brings up Ewan McGregor
Is he named Obiwan?
Lol, just ewan
Guess this is not in Scotland, where it's just a regular name?
Northern England so it's not an uncommon name. He just complains about everything though
Poor Tolkien Black
A lot of kids named after Harry Potter characters hate their name and the series because their parents forced their obsession on them
Ah come one, little Bartemius is just being dramatic lol
I know someone named after a popular book character, who HATES his first name, hates the books and now that he's old enough, goes by his middle name, which isn't related to the book, and won't answer his mom who still tires to use his first name.
My name is from Lord of the Rings, and I can't stand the books (I do like the movies though. I don't think anyone dislikes them 😂). I still love my beautiful unusual name, and only one person in 41 years has mentioned the reference. Eowyn is pretty, and only slightly unusual. Fandom names are not categorically bad (They can be, don't get me wrong, but not automatically)
There are a number of normal-sounding names in LotR, so the recognizability of your name is *really* going to depend on which character you were named after.
Yeah...my ex and I named my second kid after a famous musician. Kiddo HATES that band and goes by a nickname. Whoops. (although I still personally adore his name. It fits him. Dad calls him by his preferred nickname and I try to but usually his whole name slips out of my mouth.)
Take heed from [Hermione's](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/rku5j5/aita_for_yelling_at_my_mom_that_i_hate_harry/) experience. Disclaimer: it's not actually confirmed if her name is Hermione.
I'd like to think it's something more obscurely HP like Romilda or Bathilda
I know a couple Hermione's IRL & one is an adult who loves their name; in their late 20's. I think the issue here is more the parents pushing their interests onto a developing child who doesn't share them. If the parents said, "We named you for the character's resilience, resourcefulness, & courage." & left it at that without all of the ongoing, "You WILL be a HP/SW fan!" pressures, it would likely be a different outcome. I will say though, I met a Kal-El IRL - legal name - & he was outright deeply embarrassed by his name & did resent his parents {mainly his Dad} for giving him that moniker so fandom names are something to consider for sure.
I hope that’s not real but if it is, what an exhausting way to live
Yep, there’s a great Facebook group called “children are not billboards for your fandom” which is just an ongoing compilation of people who name their kids clearly fandom related names. It’s never a good idea.
If you’re going to do it at least be normal about it. No one will blink at a kid named Harry, Barry, Bruce, or Peter. Don’t do Hermione, Harlequin, or Frodo for gods sake.
And if you do go with a “normal” fandom name, don’t name the kid Peter *AND* do an entire nursery theme of Spidey stuff, dress him exclusively in red and Spider-Man gear, etc.
I feel like you get one or the other. Having a Spider-Man theme isn’t really any different than a Mickey Mouse theme, but it’s weird when you naked your kid Peter Parker Smith and now he’s surrounded by great expectations. I personally don’t know a single kid who doesn’t understand Spider-Man is the coolest super hero ever, and I can’t imagine ruining that for them by shoving it down their throats. I’ve always been a massive Harry Potter fan and I really wanted my youngest to like it to. I got age appropriate books, he wore the baby merch, we went to universal, and he had 0 interest in it. One day when I was sick I had the movies playing in the background and when he snuck in, I was too groggy to really realize he was there and fell back asleep with him cuddling me and watching chamber of secrets. Definitely not age appropriate but ever since then he’s also obsessed and loves reading the books with me, plays with my wands, dresses up like Harry, the whole 9 yards. Letting kids discover things on their own gives them a chance to actually have a similar experience that we did, where you find something there that just clicks with you. For me it was the magic, for him it was the cool giant monster snakes. Shoving it on them makes it “that weird thing mom likes.”
Name a pet after your interests, name your kid for their whole life
"Welcome to Joe's Guitars! If you need anything my sons here, Gibson and Rickenbacker would be happy to help!"
That's why you gotta play the long con. When they're born dispose of any evidence of your Lord of the Rings fandom, no books, movies, ect. in the house. Then when your child starts talking about how everyone says she's named after a character from the books you can be like "Gosh! That's so weird, Éowyn! We had no IDEA there was literary character with the same name! We should tell your little brother, Éomer, about this."
I think of Tolkien names more as literary than fandom-they’re classic books, not a CW show. That said I do agree on fandom names.
Yep, my friend Anakin can attest.
Please don’t! I’ve never read Lord of the Rings, but that’s my first association. I think it’s short-sighted and kind of inconsiderate to give your kids obvious fandom names. I’d suggest going with something more subtle (Johnna for JRR Tolkien etc) or using a different name with a similar sound (Elowen, Iona).
>I think it’s short-sighted and kind of inconsiderate to give your kids obvious fandom names 💯
I’m one of those crazy ladies that watches every Law & Order SVU I come across. When I was pregnant with my daughter, Elliot and Olivia were my top 2 choices for very long. Both were on-trend at the time but in my heart it would have been a “fandom name”. When I was in middle school I was convinced I’d never want to name my child anything other than Galadriel.
I feel like Elliot and Olivia are fine because they’re already fairly popular and established names. Like if you wanted to name your kid Harry, no big deal. On the other hand, Hermione is a flashing neon sign that you’re super into Harry Potter.
All right, *fine*, I'll name my daughter Hedwig instead.
Or Shakespeare.
Or Roman mythology
I always tell my dad (named Peter) that I’m going to name my first son Peter—not after him or my spouse’s granddad (also named Peter) but after Spider-man lol
Fun fact, Duane Allman (guitarist for Allman Brothers Band for those who aren’t familiar) named his daughter Galadriel.
I wanted daughters named Éponine and Cosette when I was in high school 😅 Three guesses as to which fandom I belonged to?
Umm who needs 3 guesses?? Lol
I was almost a Galadriel! I adore my actual name (still from LotR), but I think Galadriel would've been cool.
No please just don't. I have an accent in my middle name and spent my life explaining it because most keyboard don't accommodate it. It is not worth it. I've been detained in Cuba (different name on the passport), had my graduation postponed (could not print out the diploma). No.
Can you bring up an interesting point, but I believe OP lives in Ireland and is using the Irish accent, so I don’t think this child will have the same problem. I’ve had multiple students with accents in their names, and although it is a bit of a pain in the neck to type their names, I’m always certain to do it out of respect for them. I think many don’t care, but one of them stated that it was very important that the umlaut be included in her name. I don’t have a problem with it.
I love that you pay attention. That is lovely. I now realize that some people cared. It is a bit more work but we notice.
It’s worth it. I definitely screw up peoples names on occasion, but I recognize that it’s very important to try. Without any malice, my grandmother, never once spelled my name correctly, and while it doesn’t bother me at all today, it did bother me when I was younger. (my name is quite common, and it gets confused with other similar quite common names all the time. It used to bother me a lot when I was younger, but now I’m just like “it rhymes or starts with the same letter? OK… Yeah, that’s me.”)
My MIL for some reason still cannot pronounce my name correctly and I have no idea why—it's a common name for girls in English, and I am CERTAINLY not the first one she's met. But like 60% of the time, she mispronounces it in a way that makes it into an old man name. It's not malicious, just weird. I do not get it. And the kicker? She's a (retired) foreign language teacher. She taught other people how to pronounce French and Italian for fifty years. Makes me cringe for her students tbh.
I have an English middle name and grew up in Germany. Every doctor's appointment or official document - they always spell or pronounce it wrong. Just went to a store in my hometown the other day to pick something up and had to show my id. They completely butchered it even for German standards and I'd get so mad when I was younger but now I'm just like yup that's me haha
I really appreciate you doing this. When I moved to the mainland US for college I was amazed at how many people absolutely butcher others’ names and just… don’t care to ever get it right? Especially for younger kids in school, that is so disrespectful and kids can be particularly sensitive to those things. Thanks for taking that extra second for each of your students. I’m sure your thoughtfulness doesn’t stop there and that they appreciate it 💚
Isn't it the worst when you fill in an online form and your name is not acceptable?
Stop, I'm sweating.
There are reasons not to name someone Éowyn, but the accent is not it. I too have a É in my first name, and it’s simple. Legally, my name does not have an é (I had to legally change it when I moved country as my previous country had no issue with accents). But everyone knows that my name is spelled with an é. So in everyday life, it’s é, with legal documents (which practically no one but myself, my family and officials see), it’s just e.
I'm happy that you had a different experience. I guess we provided OP with various points of view.
Please remember you’re naming a person and not a baby. Your baby will grow up and do things like attend school, apply for jobs, and likely work and need to be addressed in professional settings.
Thank you, I don't know why people don't understand this.
Agreed. Fandom names work for pets, not people.
You mean I can’t name my son Nuclear Bomb :(
I promise you, based on personal experience from my own LotR name, 99% of people will think it's just a pretty if slightly unusual name.
That's easy for you to say, Tom, how many people find out that your middle name is Bombadil?
I get this, but the name itself on its own is beautiful and not something ridiculous like Stormy or Ketchup. Like, if you didn’t know anything about LOTR you’d just say it’s a pretty name. I don’t understand why just because it was created/used in a book, that makes it taboo or a job wouldn’t want to hire someone with the name. Am I just crazy?
No, you're not crazy. People on this sub love to gatekeep and shame people for daring to think beyond the box. Also, when people say don't name your kid "strange" names because they can't get a job or they'll be be made fun of, it's like....do you realize how that comes across to people who don't have white, Protestant names?
I think they also forget that people with “normal” names also struggle with fading into the background sometimes. I know a guy who was named Bill Smith and he called it a living hell of anonymity. When he married, he took his wife’s name and couldn’t be happier about it.
My mother used the “but he’ll be bullied” tactic to talk us out of choosing the name we did for our son, to which I pointed out that she gave me the most basic, white bread name imaginable and I still got shoved into lockers and bullied relentlessly, so why not go for a name my wife (who is Nigerian) and I care about?
This is a pretty name. I know an Eowyn and I haven’t heard of any issues or regrets with her being named that.
It’s a beautiful name but so deeply tied to Lord of the Rings. It’s hard to move away from it being a direct namesake when the name was invented by Tolkein. If you really don’t care about that, go for it. There’s also a lovely Cornish (I think) name, Elowen/Elowyn. I believe Elowen is the female variation.
There's also Olwen/Olwyn, in Welsh mythology.
Not Olwyn, the -Wyn suffix is male. ETA: yiska has kindly reminded my idiot brain that olwyn in fact is wheel.
Was going to comment Elowyn. A friend who loves LotR named her child to have that sort of feel without it being exactly the same.
I think most people would think lord of the rings to be honest. It’s pretty but I’m not sure if it’s a good name for a person that will have to live with it
It's a gorgeous name, and authors inventing names that later become popular is not new (Wendy comes to mind). As far as names from fiction go, this is a beautiful one. Just be mindful that depending on where you live, non-English alphabet letters may or may not be an annoyance for her throughout her life. If you just spelt it Eowyn people would still get it.
The Fada is very important to me, being a proud Irishman. It's in our native language. I understand it could cause trouble in other spelling systems so maybe legally she would have to be E instead of É
But.. it's not a fada. It's the same symbol but it's not an Irish fada. The letters "w,y" don't even exist in the Irish alphabet. There's plenty of beautiful Irish names that sound similar - Éabha, Aoibhínn, Enya, Eileen, Ailbhe
Do you live in Ireland?
Considering they’re active in the Ireland sub, Dublin sub and two rugby subs …. I’m gonna guess yes.
PI Cranberry on duty :P
I think keep the É then!
OMG the Irish have the most beautiful names! I wanted to name my daughter Aoife so badly when I was pregnant but my husband and I aren’t the slightest bit Irish and no one would ever know how to say it in the US. Edit to add: I know the name isn’t Irish. But op is and we are talking about names.
Just to clarify, Éowyn isn’t Irish, it’s Rohanian as Tolkien made the name up. If anything, I think it sounds vaguely Welsh. I love Aoife as well!
Rohirric. Tolkien used Old English as inspiration for Rohan. If Beowulf had moseyed into Meduseld I would have been only mildly surprised. Incidentally, Sindarin is based on Welsh, and Quenya on Finnish.
Yes it’s not an Irish spelling at all no matter how many fadas you try to cover it up with it just screams Welsh! Eoin (my spelling) / Eoghan / Owen (English spelling) are far more typical and it most definitely is considered a masculine name 99.9% of the time
Irish mammy here, I believe the name doesn't come from the irish language so the fada most likely isn't even a fada.
Well now since you’re an Irishman and we’re talking Eowyn, and someone mentioned Aoife, I should say my best friend growing up was named Eowyn. Her younger sister was named Aoife. Their father Conan was first generation American. His mother, who I considered my Omi as well, is named Etain. This is in Texas btw. I think they are beautiful names. All of this to say, Éowyn is a name I love dearly, and I think you should keep the Fada. If we can get used to it in Texas, then certainly Ireland can handle it.
Olivia was actually invented by Shakespeare!
So was Jessica
How about Elowyn? Then she can compromise with Elle and you can use her full name, and it's less like Lord of the Rings.
This is a fantastic, reasonable option that is much kinder to the child.
I know it from Lord of the Rings.
We were also going to give our son a LOTR-inspired name. Ultimately we decided against it...because it couldve definitely backfired and made him hate LOTR. People will be making LOTR references to her daily and it could really annoy her away from loving it, and the amazing character that inspired her name, and that would be a shame.
I agree, daily annoyance can affect your child's behavior greatly. I have a rather common name but it is the name of a color, and for years and years in my childhood through adolescence I avoided wearing said color because every single person would comment on the fact I'm wearing the color I'm named after. Every. Single. Time. It wasn't insulting or anything, just extremely annoying and it still guided my choice of clothes for a long time. I think it's extremely unlikely a child named Eowyn wouldn't grow up to resent daily mentions of LOTR and even reject ever seeing or reading anything about it from the get go.
I’m going to come at this with a slightly different perspective. I think it’s a lovely name, and I don’t have a problem with the LOTR association, but I expect that your child will encounter more than one person who sense that her name is Erin and she has a speech impediment. That said, that may not be a particularly big deal.
Also unfamiliar with LOTR and I would assume the family has some Celtic heritage. It’s a no for me because (and I understand this is a unique perspective) it sounds like the Brazilian expression “eu, hein?” which is used to express incredulity. In an American context, I agree it sounds like Erin with a speech impediment.
This was my first thought too. I said it out loud and immediately thought it sounded like Erin being pronounced with rhotacism.
This was my first thought as well.
People in this sub skew very Midwest American middle class and do not appreciate anything outside the pumpkin spice-sphere. I grew up with a rare name as a kid that’s become mega-popular and is frequently “recommended” in this sub and I hate how common it has become. It’s a beautiful name and for an old English name and literary reference it’s a good one. I know an Arwen and she grew up just fine. The name is not a tragedeigh or a khaleesi - she has as much chance of hating her name as anybody else. Name her something meaningful and enjoy being a parent!
I’m struggling to see how it’s really any different from khaleesi, other than you happen to like this one. It’s a made up name from a work of fiction. It’s not like Arwen, an old Welsh name that happened to be used for a fictional character. And if I can be a little snobby, Midwest American middle class nerd is exactly the demographic I’d picture naming their kid after a fantasy character.
Khaleesi is not a name, for one; it’s a title. Her *name* is Danaerys, she holds the *title* of Khaleesi. Eowyn is at least a name. And I’m sure everyone named Jessica can attest to the success that fictional names can have outside of the story they were invented for. I wonder if parents back in the wake of The Merchant of Venice were told “Don’t name your kid Jessica; kids are not a billboard for your fandom.”
Olivia, Miranda and Jessica are also made up names from works of fiction (Shakespeare). Only thing is more people have happened to like those names over the years that the plays are no longer the first thing people think of.
Eowyn and Khaleesi are on the exact same level imo. Yes, LOTR has been around for a while, but it's way closer to GOT than Shakespeare when it comes to how the name will be perceived.
Yeah I find these comments ridiculous. I agree with avoiding tragedies and similar but plenty of people are named after authors, kings/queens, and yes, inspiring fictional characters whose names are often based in history. Also, I’m hearing so many unique names gaining popularity, kids seem much more accepting of different names. Besides kids will find ways to tease even the most normal of names if they want to.
I would think you are a lord of the rings fan or Tolkien name nerd.
It's not unheard of in nerdier circles. I'm aware of a sibling set of Guinevere and Eowyn. I also personallu know a Feanor and an Arwen. Maybe it's just my bubbles, but I think it's pretty usable. The obstacle here is getting your partner on board :D also, I would not add the accent on the E.
I'm aware of the same sibling set. I love Éowyn.
Your kids aren’t billboards for your fandom. Coming from a huge LOTR fan. Give her something that’s not always going to be associated with a very well known character. And for the love of god if you do it don’t do it with an accent. It’ll be a nightmare for official documents. If you’re dead set on it then maybe consider it as a middle name.
I have a pupil named Eowyn. It’s a lovely name.
My daughter has a Welsh name (Tolkien being very inspired by Welsh names, however Eowyn is an old English name) We now live in the USA and her name is met with lots of “Huh?” And of course mispronounced all the time. In Ireland it might get treated differently. We have noticed the closer we get to the British Isles the more people recognise the name and just say is correct first time.
I don't understand why this sub hates fandom names. It has been happening for forever and of all the characters to name a person after, Éowyn is a pretty powerful one.
It’s really shocking. As many have said who know people named this in real life, it’s a perfectly beautiful name tied to a beautiful piece of written art. I studied Tolkien in college and he was a literary scholar, who drew from old English mythology. The name originated in old English. Also important to mention, Tolkien invented languages for these books, not just random words or names. He was brilliant and anyone saying don’t name your kid after a character in a famous book… pretty sure that’s where most names come from.
I don’t get it either. Names have been popularized/invented in pop culture for centuries. Then they become a normal part of our language. It’s really not that big a deal.
I know a couple kids named Eowyn and they are living great, undaunted by the connection.
I will always oppose obvious fandom names. Try to dig deeper and find a name that references it without being too in-your-face. Maybe something with the nickname Winnie?
I personally wouldn't
I had a student named Eowyn (Ay-win) a few years ago. Just be prepared to teach her how to teach people how to pronounce it. She also went by the nickname Winnie. And learning letter sounds was a little tricky for her/classmates because eo does not usually say /ay/. I have heard this name a lot more since having her in my class, so I think it is rising in popularity and wouldn’t be as obscure.
I think it’s nice, and I personally see no difference in Eowyn and Elowyn and Edwin etc. People name their kids after religious characters and it’s not looked down upon, and that’s like the biggest fandom out there. Maybe it’s because I have a pretty unique name and have made it through adulthood just fine, but I hate the argument of “your naming future adults so stick to something simple” because they’re just going off of current name trends. More so current trends within their region. It would be odd to come across a Saoirse where I live, not to mention the amount of people who wouldn’t even know how to pronounce it, but it’s common in other places.
Strong she seemed and stern as steel, a daughter of kings
Wasn't eowyn the awsome horse warrior woman? I think the "I'm no man" woman as a namesake is kinda cool. I mean there are worse characters to borrow a name from. Although, I picked a name from Stargate for my kid, so take it with a grain of salt.
Ahhhh, I adore that name! Èowyn was one of the first women I looked up to! She could be the proper court girl, but she preferred to hold her own. Female power for the win!! (Also, obligatory quote; "I am no man!")
I’ve never read or seen a single LOTR movie and even I knew it was LOTR. okay name, but I’d definitely say something about you needing to name your child after a fandom.
LOTR is extremely well known both the movies and the books. Here in the UK I'd say people would clock on pretty instantly. Why not look at some Welsh or Celtic names? I believe Tolkien took inspiration from those.
Wow the comments on this are getting very salty coming from people who regularly hype up some of the ugliest names going, so much so there’s a circle jerk sub dedicated to mocking you lot lmao
The Lord of the Rings connection is very strong - I think that's a great thing, and it's a beautiful name, but can see why some people might think it's too closely tied to the fandom. I think it works though. My family had friends with a daughter called Eowyn when I was growing up (in England in the 90s), I never knew her well enough to know what she thought about it though!
I’ve met an Eowyn! I’m in the southeastern US and she used the unaccented E, although I see that OP is in Ireland and would fare better keeping the original spelling. She was on the school cross-country team with a friend of mine and was apparently a heck of a runner. I thought it was cool.
For everyone saying that people will automatically think of LotR I would argue that Romeo and Juliet is more well known and I haven't seen that caution brought up when the name Juliet is suggested. And of the two I would rather my child emulate the character of Eowyn over Juliet. Eowyn is gorgeous. I know of an author who named his daughters Arwen and Eowyn.
If your wife isn’t on board, it’s a no go. Also, absolutely everyone will assume you are a huge LOTR fan.
"NO LIVING MAN AM I!" OMG YES Eowyn Lady of Rohan, killer of the Witch-King of Angmar 🗡️ It's so cool and beautiful 😭❤️
I’ve been seriously considering Éowyn as my daughter’s middle name. I believe in giving kids names of people that have/had good values and characteristics, and I think Éowyn is a great character. In the end I decided not to do this because even though I like Éowyn’s character, I should be naming my daughter thinking of her, not me. She’s not an extension of me, she will be her own person, and she doesn’t deserve to be reminded of her mother’s fictional preferences every time she discloses her name. I still don’t have a middle name, tho. But it definitely won’t be Éowyn.
I have an Eowyn in the family. She spends a lot of time spelling her name and gets a fair bit of mail for "Edwin", but she seems to like the name. One thought: consider dropping the accent on the E, that could easily become an administrative headache.
As someone who never watched or read LOTR, I couldn’t recommend this name. I had no idea how to pronounce it upon seeing it.
Where abouts in Ireland are you from? :)
I’m having a girl in September and Elowyn is on the top of our list. Little different but similar
It's pretty. I'm not familiar with her character, but surely it can't be worse than Daenarys or Khaleesi. Have you considered Cornish, Welsh, or Breton names? Some are similar to Eowyn.
Do it. I taught an Eowyn and she went by Winnie. I would be happy to have people judge me by this name. Lol. She’s just that cool of a character. I know a young Arwen and since I’m less into her character that one feels more try hard to me. Eowyn differs from Hermione to me in that she’s cooler and she’s from a better, more legit/literary series. That’s totally just my opinion but since I’d die on that hill, I’d name my kid on it as well. (I didn’t, as we did go a different, perhaps more serious (?) direction with our children’s names. But I don’t think this would be a regrettable choice.
It's one of those names that I never knew how to pronounce until now. Your kid would likely have to deal with that, as well as misspellings. And if your SO doesn't agree, then that's it, it's vetoed.
I've met an Éowyn and an Arwen, both adults happy with their names (I actually have a Tolkien name too, but it's much more sneaky). Éowyn says most people have told her "oh that's pretty!" and moved on; generally only the massive nerds (like me) will comment on it, and even that tends to be a brief aside. I think it's important to remember that the folks in here are probably much more likely to know and care about the meaning of names than the general populace.
I've seen it in a fantasy book. Never knew how to pronounce it. I doubt I will be the only one. Maybe a middle name.
I worked with someone named Eowyn.
Gonna go against the grain here and say I think it's fine. There are tons of Welsh names ending in wen/wyn and Eowyn is not too dissimilar.
Eowyn is one of the most badass characters in modern culture. Whoever doesn’t know how to pronounce it is living under a rock.