Aragorn uses the name Strider when he first meets the hobbits at the Prancing Pony in Bree in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
The name reflects his life as a Ranger of the North, a wandering protector who travels the wild regions of Eriador. Frodo and his companions initially distrust him because they know little about his identity and hear only the reputation attached to the name.
Strider is not Aragorn’s only alias. He was also known as Thorongil during an earlier period of service, while Elessar becomes an important royal name later in the story. Aragorn is ultimately revealed as the heir of Isildur and a claimant to the throne of Gondor.
The Prancing Pony encounter appears early in The Fellowship of the Ring. It marks the point at which Aragorn joins the hobbits and begins openly guiding them toward Rivendell.