Fantasy series I can't remember ...

[Charles]

This is not about lord of the rings but I couldn't post with selecting a book so I am not sure how I would as this any other way.

At least 25 years ago I read a series of fantasy books set in a medieval type world where the main character has slight magical abilities that he wasn't even aware of. Theses minor abilities are called talents and are from being told a name of a fairy and as you learned more fairy names you become more powerful but if learn 5 names you can't hold the power and you die. Throughout the story the main character learns more fairy names and gets stronger. At one point an enemy of the main character tells a fifth name to him and to keep from dying he tells the whole town the 5 names and spreads out the power and survives.

This is driving me crazy so, does anyone know what this series is?