Tolkien
/ˈtɒlkiːn/ proper noun
Forms Tolkiens
Synonyms
Etymology
Likely from Middle Low German Tolkin (literally “son of Tolk”), which is probably also related to Polish Tołkiny and German Tolksdorf, names for a Prussian town; the nickname Tolk is connected to Middle Low German tolk (“interpreter”), from Proto-Slavic *tъlkъ. J. R. R. Tolkien subscribed to a folk etymology that connected the name with German tollkühn (“foolhardy”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “Tolkien”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details