Matching a name to a character
Sound does a lot of the work. Soft letters (l, s, th, v) and open vowels make a name feel light and graceful, which is why elvish names here lean on -iel, -wen and -ara. Hard stops (k, g, r, z) and short syllables feel heavy and fierce, which suits orcs and villains: compare Lirisse with Skargra.
Dwarvish names here borrow the shape of Old Norse women's names, ending in -hild, -dis, -gerd and -frid, just as Tolkien took his dwarves' names from Norse sources. If you want a real historical name instead, our Old Norse names list has recorded ones.
Making a name your own
If a name is nearly right, change one part. Swap the ending (Vymira, Vymessa, Vymiel), drop a letter, or join the first half of one name to the second half of another. Saying the name out loud matters more than how it looks: if readers can't guess how to say it, they will skip it.
Keep names in one culture consistent. If your elves end in -iel and -wen, an elf called Gromsha will stand out, which is only useful if you want her to.
Checking a name before you use it
We have removed names we recognised from major fantasy series, but nobody can check every book and game. Before you publish, search the name in quotes with words like "fantasy" or "character", and check it isn't a real word with an unfortunate meaning in another language.