The translation of proper names is one of the most difficult problems that can be found when translating a literary text. This is due to two reasons. First of all, the philosophy of language does not agree on whether proper names are meaningful or not. Second, there is a lack of consistency in the translation theories proposed. In this article, the author analyses the importance of the translation of proper names in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. The author has chosen these two literary works because they show the importance of the meaning of a proper name in literature and because they are both media phenomena.