The hero of the War of the Ring and first king of the reunited Arnor and Gondor.

Possible Etymology: Tolkien considered several etymologies of this name. Its initial element was clearly ar(a)- “noble” (Let/426). Tolkien variously indicated that the meaning of the second element was either S. gorn¹ “revered" (PE17/31, 113) or “valour” (PM/xii), so that his name meant either “Revered King” or “Kingly Valour”. Of the two, the etymological discussion for the meaning “Revered King” is more complete, giving the older form †Arangorn (PE17/113).

In another place Tolkien gave the Quenya equivalent of this name as Q. Aracorno (PE17/71), but does not seem to match either of the etymologies dissussed above, so this perhaps represents a third conception of the origin of the name.

Conceptual Development: In Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s, this character was initially a hobbit by the name of “Trotter” (RS/138). Tolkien eventually changed the character into a man, at which point the name N. Aragorn was given to the character (TI/6-7). Before the character became a man he briefly had the Elvish names N. Rimbedir >> Padathir (RS/198), Du-finnion (RS/361) and Ethelion (RS/395).

An early Elvish name in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s for the character that would become Aragorn, glossed “Peregrin” (RS/395). Roman Rausch suggested it might be a cognate of ᴹQ. ettelea “foreign”, since Peregrin means “foreigner” (EE/1.3).

An early Elvish name in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s for the character that would become Aragorn (RS/361). Its meaning is unclear.

See S. Aragorn for further discussion.

An early Elvish name in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s for the character that would become Aragorn (RS/198). It is glossed “Trotter” and seems to be a combination of pad- "walk" and the agental suffix dîr “man”, perhaps dissimilated to -thir (as suggested by Roman Rausch, EE/1.3).

See S. Aragorn for further discussion.

Earliest Elvish name in Lord of the Rings drafts from the 1940s for the character that would become Aragorn (RS/198). Its etymology is unclear.

See S. Aragorn for further discussion.