Gandalf is one of the most memorable names in The Lord of the Rings. Even those who aren’t fans of Tolkien’s works are likely to be familiar with the character. However, Gandalf isn’t the wizard’s only—or even first—name. He spent centuries of Middle-earth’s history wandering the land and becoming acquainted with different kingdoms, regions, and people, many of which used a variety of other languages. As Gandalf did this, different тιтles and names began to stick. This is why names like Mithrandir, Olórin, Tharkûn, Incánus, and more are used to describe Gandalf throughout The Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books and Peter Jackson’s movie adaptations are only the tip of the iceberg for Gandalf’s character. He is seen to be an old wizard in Bilbo and Frodo’s stories, but, in truth, he is a shapeshifting, angel-like being known as a Maia. Gandalf was created before the universe itself by the Lord of the Rings god Eru Ilúvatar to ᴀssist in the creation and maintenance of the world. It’s unclear what a being like Ilúvatar would have called Gandalf. However, once this important character came into contact with Elves, Men, and more, he began collecting names.

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Gandalf The Grey

Gandalf’s Name In The North

The name Gandalf came from the Men of Northern Middle-earth and is what the wizard used to introduce himself to the Hobbits of this region. The word literally means “Wand-elf“ in the language used in Dale. The Men here recognized that Gandalf wasn’t human, and his immortality and use of magic led them to ᴀssociate him with Elves. Still, his agedness made it clear that he wasn’t quite one of these people either, so his staff became the differentiator within his name.

The “Grey” part of Gandalf’s name came from the color of his cloak. Istari wear cloaks to symbolize their order—it’s not necessarily an official system, but more something these wizards fell into. Saruman wore a white cloak, Radagast wore brown, and Gandalf wore grey. These became the colors their characters were ᴀssociated with in The Lord of the Rings until Saruman cast aside his white cloak for one of “many colors,” and their order shifted.

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Gandalf The White

The Resurrected White Wizard

After Gandalf the Grey died during his fight with the Balrog of Moria, he was resurrected into a new form. While his soul or essence (called fëa in Lord of the Rings) was the same, Gandalf was technically a new person. It took him a moment to remember Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli when they found him in Fanghorn Forest and had forgotten that he had been called “Gandalf the Grey.” Once he remembered, he introduced himself as Saruman before referring to himself as Gandalf the White.

Gandalf hadn’t really become Saruman. Rather, upon his resurrection, the wizard took Saruman’s place as the White Wizard. He was “Saruman as he should have been.” With his white cloak, Gandalf the White was now the leader of the Istari—a role which had previously been Saruman’s.

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Olórin

Gandalf’s Name In Valinor

Olórin is often considered Gandalf’s true name. It’s the тιтle ᴀssociated with his true form: the Maia of Valinor. Maia are angel-like shapeshifters, and before coming to Middle-earth in the form of an old grey-cloaked wizard, Gandalf would have been a beautiful being capable of taking any form he chose.

It was given to him by the Elves that migrated from Middle-earth to Valinor in the earliest of days.

The name Olórin isn’t technically what Gandalf would have been “born” with. It was given to him by the Elves that migrated from Middle-earth to Valinor in the earliest of days. These Elves spoke the language Quenya, and the name Olórin comes from the root “olor,” which means “dream.”

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Mithrandir

The Middle-Earth Elves’ Name For Gandalf

Mithrandir is another name commonly used in The Lord of the Rings to refer to Gandalf. Legolas and Aragorn can be heard calling Gandalf Mithrandir, which makes sense since this is the name given to the wizard by Middle-earth’s Sindarin Elves. It was adopted by the Men of Gondor, who often used variations of the Sindarin language.

Mithrandir comes from the Sindarin words “mith,” and “rhandir,” which translate to “grey” and “pilgrim,” respectively. This is why Gandalf is sometimes called “The Grey Pilgrim” by Elves and Men alike, as this is the English interpretation of Mithrandir.

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Incánus

The Name Of Uncertain Origins

The name Incánus is used far less often in The Lord of the Rings, and it’s not particularly friendly toward Gandalf. It’s not clear precisely where or what language this name came from. Tolkien himself seemed to change his mind about where Gandalf picked up this тιтle. In one version, Incánus comes from the Haradrim and literally means “Northern Spy,” implying significant distrust for the wandering wizard.

Gandalf mentioned the name Incánus when discussing his many тιтles, but never said precisely where this name was used.

A later version of Tolkien’s story revealed that Gandalf actually picked this name up in Gondor, not Harad. In this case, Incánus is a Quenya word, which translates to “mind ruler.” This would be in reference to Gandalf’s pᴀssion for study and history.

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Tharkûn

The Dwarves’ Name For Gandalf

Tharkûn is the name given to Gandalf by the Dwarves. It comes from the language of Khazdul and is similar to the translation of “Gandalf.” However, rather than meaning “staff Elf,” the name Tharkûn means “staff Man.”

This implies that the Dwarves saw Gandalf as more Man-like than Elf-like. Still, they recognized that Gandalf was different from the Men of Middle-earth, and his wizard’s staff inspired the addition.

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Greyhame

One Of Gandalf’s Names In Rohan

The тιтle Greyhame was often used as a surname for Gandalf, though it was sometimes used independently. The wizard became known as Gandalf Greyhame predominantly in Rohan, and this is essentially the same as “Gandalf the Grey.”

Rohan is inspired by the Anglo-Saxons, and Tolkien borrowed the word “hame” from the Old English root “hama,” which means “hide.” In Rohan, “hame” would have been used to refer to a cloak. So, Gandalf Greyhame literally translates to “Gandalf Greycloak.”

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Old Greybeard

The Mouth Of Sauron’s Name For Gandalf

This тιтle is a bit more straightforward. Gandalf was called “Old Greybeard” by the Mouth of Sauron, so it’s implied that this is how the Dark Lord himself would have referred to the wizard. Gandalf and Sauron are both Maiar from Valinor, though they clearly took different forms when they came to Middle-earth.

Gandalf was called “Old Greybeard” by the Mouth of Sauron, so it’s implied that this is how the Dark Lord himself would have referred to the wizard.

Gandalf took the form of an unthreatening old man rather than the beautiful and seductive forms that Sauron preferred when he first began moving about Middle-earth. Sauron and the Mouth of Sauron calling the wizard “Old Greybeard” was meant to be a mockery.

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The Grey Pilgrim

Gandalf’s Wandering Name

The Grey Pilgrim is another of Gandalf’s common тιтles in Middle-earth, predominantly used by Men or Elvish speakers of the common tongue. It is the direct translation of Mithrandir, which refers to Gandalf’s grey cloak and his tendency to wander Middle-earth rather than create roots in any one place, like his fellow Istari.

Part of what made Gandalf unique among his fellows is that he never set up a permanent camp in Middle-earth. The Blue Wizards established themselves in Rhûn, Saruman took over Orthanc in Isengard, and Radagast set up camp in Rhosgobel near Mirkwood. Gandalf, on the other hand, thought it best to move about Middle-earth and remain unattached to any one place. Ultimately, he was the only Istari to achieve the mission given to him by the Valar, so he must have been correct.

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Stormcrow

Gandalf The Bad Omen

Stormcrow is another far less positive тιтle given to Gandalf. It was used predominantly in Rohan in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, when Gandalf has his audience with Theoden and Grima Wormtongue. Stormcrow refers to the fact that whenever Gandalf appears in Rohan, trouble seems to follow him.

Stormcrow refers to the fact that whenever Gandalf appears in Rohan, trouble seems to follow him.

Storms and crows are both bad omens, and, over the years, Gandalf’s appearance in Rohan became a bad omen as well. The people there began to believe that the wizard himself was bringing disaster when, really, he was coming to Rohan to warn and help the kingdom face oncoming problems.

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The White Rider

Gandalf & Shadowfax

The White Rider is the тιтle given to Gandalf after he was resurrected as Gandalf the White. During this time in The Lord of the Rings, the wizard traveled to Rohan and claimed the horse Shadowfax, who was really a highly intelligent horse-being referred to as the Mearas. Shadowfax had belonged to Theoden, but the Rohan king was unable to tame him, so Gandalf took the horse over.

Gandalf the White was quite a sight, speeding across Middle-earth on the silvery white Shadowfax.

Gandalf the White was quite a sight, speeding across Middle-earth on the silvery white Shadowfax. Their partnership inspired the name “The White Rider” since they were only a streak of silver across the battlefield.

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Láthspell

Wormtongue’s Name For Gandalf

In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Grim Wormtongue called Gandalf Láthspell. This is another word unique to Rohan and comes from the Old English words “láð” and “spell,” which mean “evil” and “tale,” respectively. Literally, this comes together to mean “ill news.”

Again, this refers to the fact that any time Gandalf came to Rohan, he had bad news for the people there. Of course, the wizard brought such news in an effort to save the people of Rohan, so the negative тιтle of Láthspell isn’t particularly fair.

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The Stranger

Gandalf’s Initial Name In Rings Of Power

“The Stranger” is a new тιтle for Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings franchise. In Prime Video’s TV series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, this тιтle refers to the mysterious character who arrived in Middle-earth as a meteor. In season 1, Harfoot Nori discovers him and calls him the “Stranger” because he is unable to share his name.

In Rings of Power season 2, the Stranger understood that he was an Istari but still couldn’t remember his name. Nori got to work selecting one for him, and by the end of the season, she had chosen the name “Gandalf.” In this version of the story, Gandalf comes from the Stoors, who call the Stranger a “Grand Elf.” Of course, this and Gandalf’s presence as “The Stranger” differs from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings canon, but it gets an honorable mention anyway.