What is the name of the innkeeper who runs The Prancing Pony in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Bree?

The innkeeper who runs The Prancing Pony in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Bree is Barliman Butterbur.

Barliman Butterbur is the busy proprietor of The Prancing Pony, the principal inn in Bree. Frodo and his companions stay there while traveling from the Shire, and Butterbur becomes involved in their departure after realizing that he failed to deliver a message from Gandalf. His mistake helps explain why Gandalf does not meet the Hobbits at the expected time.

Butterbur also introduces the travelers to Strider, the ranger who is later identified as Aragorn. After the Hobbits leave Bree, Butterbur sends a letter of apology and warning toward the Shire. He is portrayed as forgetful and hurried, but also as fundamentally helpful and well-intentioned.

Tom Bombadil is a mysterious figure encountered later in the Old Forest and the Barrow-downs. Farmer Maggot lives in the Shire, while Haldir is an Elf of Lothlórien. None of them operates the Bree inn.