Maia

The Maiar (singular Maia; Quenya, pronounced [ˈmaɪ.ar]) were those spirits which descended to Arda to help the Valar shape the World. They were numerous, yet not many were named, and few also took visible shapes in Middle-Earth. The Maiar were Ainur — technically, any Ainu that is not counted as a Vala is a Maia. Their chiefs were Eönwë, banner-bearer and herald of Manwë, and Ilmarë, the handmaid of Varda.
Each of the Maiar was associated with one or more particular Vala, and were of similar stock, though less powerful. For example, Ossë and Uinen, as spirits of the sea, belonged to Ulmo, while Curumo, who came to be known in Middle-earth as Saruman, belonged to Aulë the Smith. Melian served both Vána and Estë.
Others included Mairon, also originally of Aulë's people, who later became known as Sauron; Aiwendil, who was known in Middle-earth as Radagast the Brown and belonged to the people of Yavanna; and Olórin, known as Gandalf, who belonged to Manwë and Varda.The latter's ways took him often to the house of Nienna from whom he learned pity and patience, which perhaps aided him in his later struggles to unite the Free Peoples of Middle-earth against the power of Sauron.

Naming Traditions

Family names

The Quenya name Maiar means "the Beautiful".