Lorien

• I love this name because it's very exotic sounding, and also the shortened name for the land of Lothlorien (I love Lord of the Rings!). If you go for meaning, this name is also very beautiful--it means "dreamflower". It looks like a variant of Lauren (my given name, which I detest), and it's the only name close to Lauren that I like at all.

• (there should be an accent over the o) pronounced LOR-ee-ehn. The middle name of Tori Amos's daughter Natashya. She got it from the Lord of the Rings, the Lothloriens.

• Lorien is a nice variation from "Loren" or "Lauren". The origins are Spanish, and the meaning is "Surreal". It sounds pretty and romantic, and just dances on paper when you spell it. It's the land of the elves in "The Lord of the Rings" series by JRR Tolkien, and I think it's a really pretty name for a girl.

"Surreal" in Spanish is surreal. Lorien is not in any dictionary I can find. I think J.R.R. Tolkien may have made it up.