The Biggest Tolkien Fans - According To Google Trends

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

Just one comment about the international possibilities - "Tolkien" is the same in all languages, which is why it's likely to get searched for in so many countries. "Lord of the Rings" is English, and many readers in other areas of the world will not search for that, but for the translated equivalent in their own language.

So that makes the folks from Amsterdam and Brussels the biggest Tolkien fans... or the most unfaithful to their nationality

[The Might]

I am surprised that Neuenrade, Germany didn't make since I live there.

[Thinlómien]

Bah, I'm sure that Helsinki, Finland would make it to those top tens if this wasn't such a little city. You know, in order to be fair, the number of searches should be compared to the number of inhabitants...

[Aganzir]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

Bah, I'm sure that Helsinki, Finland would make it to those top tens if this wasn't such a little city. You know, in order to be fair, the number of searches should be compared to the number of inhabitants...

I tried it with the name of the Finnish translation and Helsinki didn't even make it to the top ten of Finland.

But I think that must be because we already have all the Lotr related websites saved as bookmarks.

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Aganzir

But I think that must be because we already have all the Lotr related websites saved as bookmarks.

Yes, and because we don't search with such common noob words like Tolkien or Lord of the Rings but things like, say, I vene Kemen or other "advanced" stuff...

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

Bah, I'm sure that Helsinki, Finland would make it to those top tens if this wasn't such a little city. You know, in order to be fair, the number of searches should be compared to the number of inhabitants...

Actually, Lommy, bang in a few names and so on and see what comes up (not everything will). I just typed in "aragorn" and Finns are way, way ahead of every other nation on searching this name! Top cities are Tampere and Helsinki. Finland, a nation obsessed by Aragorn!

Amusingly, Tykes are very interested in Gollum and Aragorn too, as Sheffield figures in the top tens on these name searches. Poles and Finns are fond of Sauron. Spain loves Tom Bombadil. Aussies and Swedes love Orcsies.

Meanwhile people of Alexandria in the USA have a truly disturbing obsession with Bilbo Baggins, as do the people of Bucharest with good old Boromir. I can only guess that with such weirdly high figures there are local things sharing those names!

BTW I apologise for double posting. I got all over excited because of a statistics database....what a nerd...

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

So that makes the folks from Amsterdam and Brussels the biggest Tolkien fans... or the most unfaithful to their nationality

Or extremely proficient anglophones. Unsurprisingly given that Dutch is so closely related to English, Netherlanders tend to speak English very well. Brussels is a very cosmopolitan because of the European organisations based there.
and I believe both countries were able to receive BBC broadcasts before technology made it more widely available. However the sad fact is for Tolkien's home country is that the English are notorious with regards to language learning and are unlikely to get better in the near future. On the continent it seems usual for anyone of university level education to have a working knowledge of at least one MFL...