Tolkien Genealogy and Tolkien Family History Information

In an autobiographical note made in 1955, J. R. R. Tolkien demonstrated that the name Tolkien is an anglicized form of the German nickname/surname Tollkiehn, derived from the adjective tollkühn, which means “daring”, “rash”, “foolhardy” (literal translation is “madly bold”). He accepted no other arguments concerning this issue, though there were some.

Further Information

• What do we know about the ancestors of J.R.R. Tolkien? (monograph)
• Does the Tolkien family come from Warmia? (Part I)
• Tołkiny in Warmia: a nest of the Tolkien family? (Part II)