[name_m]Hi[/name_m]!
So a friend of mine’s relative just came to the United States from [name_f]China[/name_f]. and they need an English name for their daughter. They’ve been considering this for a while, and are now trying to decided between [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] and [name_f]Arwen[/name_f]. The problem is, although even I know one or two [name_f]Arwen[/name_f]'s around my school, they think that the name sounds very “Tolkien-ish” and made-up (although it was originally a real Welsh name, most people probably don’t know that). They are worried that, since they’re Chinese, people might think that maybe their daughter/they just named her/herself [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] after the character, which is really stupid. If you guys ever meet an [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] in real life and you know that she’s Chinese (and that she wasn’t born here), will you think that her parents/she just named her/herself after the character?
My friend wants me to ask as many people as possible to see their opinions, so if you find this weird, I’m sorry.
Thanks!
Well as a name nerd I know of [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] other than from LOTR, but I think it’s likely that many people will assume that it’s after the character.
I don’t think it’s a bad thing that someone associate the name with the character though
[name_f]Arwen[/name_f] is beautiful
I think most people will assume she was named after the character. I would definitely go with [name_f]Elowen[/name_f].
I know right? I told my friends too that if they like this kind of fairy feminine elf vibe they can just go with [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] since it has all the vibes they wanted and is not associated with any famous thing/people/character like Arwen. But she told me that they just love [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] and feel like that there’s something special with it (which I kinda get it). They feel like [name_f]Arwen[/name_f] is even more fairy-ish that [name_f]Elowen[/name_f].
If I were them… First off both are beautiful… I do know of the character, I also know it’s a name as do most here on nameberry. If they’re looking for something that feels like it blends in in the states I don’t know if these are the names for them. But that said… If they like these they should choose whichever they like and call her what they want. And I’m sure they know they don’t have to choose something that fits in. A Chinese girl living in the states called [name_f]Arwen[/name_f]… I bet she’s got a lot of character and she isn’t unapproachable. I think if they are concerned about the reference they could go with Elowyn or something else, I’ve always adored [name_f]Bronwen[/name_f], [name_f]Ellie[/name_f] is sweet, [name_f]Erin[/name_f] is underused… But unexpected names are fun too like [name_f]Athena[/name_f] or [name_f]Hera[/name_f]! Whatever they choose it’s their child and she can have whatever name they choose unapologetucally. But also LOTR came out ages ago! The books even longer ago, yes the fan base is massive but it isn’t unused even in general. [name_f]Anwen[/name_f] is also a fresh alternative. I hope everyone finds something they love!
Also, they are worried that she might get bullied at school for sharing the same name as a famous fictional character (I know it sounds really stupid, but I can kind of imagine a kid saying to her "Oh you’re so stupid you just named yourself after the elf so that you can be pretty"or things like that).
I do think of the character, but I don’t consider it a bad association at all. If they love it, I think it’s a beautiful choice. [name_f]Elowen[/name_f] is also great, though, so I don’t think they can go wrong.