Thoughts on Arwen vs Eden

[HRF2022]

Hello! Just wanting to get people's thoughts...sister for Willow - stuck between these two names!

I absolutely love the name Arwen, but my concern is that it is too linked to Lord of the Rings. I'm not a particular fan of the books/ films but I don't dislike them, my husband likes them. I didn't actually realise Arwen was from LOTR and fell in love with it when my husband suggested it so it was only after I found out the link.

Would people automatically assume we were super fans if they heard this name, or do you think it could be a standalone name in it's own right?

Our other choice is Eden, which we both like, but I can't help but feel Arwen is a bit prettier and unusual.

Would love to know your thoughts!

Also, remember you may not mind the connection, but it might gets a bit tedious for her because people will always say “Oh, what a lovely name” then either “Where’s it from?” or “Oh, LOTR!”

Loving the poster who keeps popping in to the thread to correct anyone who accidentally misinterprets a Welsh spelling of a name.

🙂

I like Arwen. Lovely name. I know a Carwyn too.

Arwen was female no? Liv Tyler in the film

How about Arden?

Arwen is female (both in LotR and as a name irl). Arwyn would be the male version of the name in Welsh.

If I met sisters called Willow and Arwen I’d think their parents were very into fantasy - LOTR and Buffy. I wouldn’t be surprised if their little sister was called Arya.

Willow on its own is a lovely name. Willow and Arwen as a sibling pair is “named after characters.” You can’t get away from the LOTR association (and Liv Tyler was awful.)

Anwen is a better name.

Eden is ok, but I knew a little boy called Eden who was an absolute shocker so it’s tainted by association in my mind.

@828Pax , @FebruaryUsername , Arwyn is a boy's name. It's not connected with Arwen. Arwen is used as a girl's name in Wales. There's one on Pobol y Cwm.

@Gloschick , I'm not being mean. As several posters have pointed out, the -wyn ending is masculine, but Olwyn isn't a man's name, it's the word for wheel. If someone chooses it as a name, that's their poor child's lookout.

@Ihmppmmwtbwote , there's Welsh, and there's Welsh-speaking. They're not the same.

@FebruaryUsername ,yeah, right.

How about Rowan, it’s pretty and sounds nice with Willow.

There was a girl in my school (long before LOTR ring films, but obviously not the books) called Arwen.

I think now it would be too linked to the film, we considered it for our DD but husband ruled it out even though he’s a big LOTR fan!

however I will say that once you’ve named your child, any associations with that name will probably go away and it’ll just become the name of your child. We have an Enya, and now for our friends and family and people that know us it’s just her name…not associated with the singer at all.

Arwen definitely says LOTR to me but not a bad association. I would find the R hard to pronounce though and I feel like it should be. Ah-wen just doesn’t sound as pretty.

Love Anwen and Olwen.

How about Wren? Sounds kind of like Arwen? Follows the nature vibe also. Wren and Willow do look a bit cutesy, but not so bad because they have different sounds at the beginning.

That is super annoying. I am not good at rolling my Rs and would sound a plonker.

Which of these sound nicer in your local accent? Imagine it bellowed across a playground. In the local accent here, Eden when shouted isn’t a particularly nice name (north London).

It’s up to you if you want to choose a name made up by Tolkien. The name Lorna was invented by the author of Lorna Doone and Shakespeare made up loads of names, including Jessica.

LOTR is the better movie by a long shot.

Loved Willow as a kid but it hasnt aged well.

Will Arwen forever hold that over Willow?

i was just about to type that!

I really love Arwen. I'm not a LOTR superfan, read it once, watched it a couple of times but I just loved her name from the moment I read the book. It would make me think of LOTR but not that you were superfans just that you liked the name in the book or film.

My only worry is that to sound pretty it does need to be said with a bit of a rolled 'rrr' Arr - wen and I think to rhyme with hen. I would worry most English would say 'Ahhh-wuhn'.

Eden to me is a boy's name because I know 2! I do know one girl but not as well as the boys.

I love Eden!
I’d be wondering about the ‘W’ with Willow and Arwen. It’s a bit of a mouthful if you’re calling them together!
I love Willow though

Yes, I would say “Ahhh-wuhn”.

Which Arwen was male? Not the LOTR one. And a previous poster said in Welsh names, - wen is a female ending.

Thank you for all your responses! Seems they are both rather marmite names 😂

We love Elowyn, almost used it for our first, but didn't want it shortened to Elle/Ellie? Also like the idea of Anwen so thank you for the suggestions.

Another on our shortlist is Evelyn, we both love it but wouldn't want it shortened to Evie - which feels inevitable?!

Pronounced like "Garden of Eden" or "Eden Hazard"?

Like the Garden of Eden, I expect. Why would she use a Belgian pronunciation?

I know an Arwen aged 10 and despite watching LOTR I have never connected it with that. Most people, like myself won't connect it to LOTR

Arwen is definitely my favourite! Followed by Anwen. Elowen = Ellie, Evelyn = Evie.