His stories speak for themselves. Want to know where he got his names from? Try the following list of Dwarfs in the Norse world given by Snorri Sturluson a few hundred years ago:

Nyi, Nidi, Nordri, Sudri, Austri, Vestri, Althjof, Dvalin, Bifur, Bombor, Nori, Oinn, Mjodvitnir, Vig, Gandalf, Vindalf, Thorin, Fili, Kili, Fundin, Vali, Thror, Thrain, Thekk, Lit, Vit, Nyr, Nyrad, Rekk, Radsvid, Draupnir, Dolgthvari, Haur, Hugstari, Hledjolf, Gloin, Dori, Ori, Duf, Andvari, Heptifili, Har, Sviar, Skirfir, Virfir, Skavid, Ai, Alf, Ingi, Eikinskjaldi, Fal, Frosti, Fid, and Ginnar

Any of those look familiar?

But names are nothing. Their personalities are all Tolkien, the story-telling is all Tolkien, and if he learned from those who came before, it just shows that he knew that it is better to build on what is already known. In fact several of his official papers dove-tail very well with his popular fiction. The work he did as an academic told him better how to tell stories and vice versa.

Speaking of which some day I will get off my lazy ass and buy my own copy of, "The Monsters and the Critics". But I still remember having read it in College, finally understanding why I liked Tolkien, Norse mythology, etc, and why I had been left utterly cold by the Greek myths.

Cheers,
Ben