Given Names
- Antawn Jamison – /ˈæntwɑːn/ (American English pronunciation of "Antoine". For more information, see the section on his name.)
- Chynna Phillips – /ˈtʃaɪnə/
- Kiki Cuyler – /ˈkaɪkaɪ/ (KY-ky); compare with the more common /ˈkiːki/ (KEE-kee), as in Kiki Dee and Kiki Vandeweghe
- Magdalen(e) (as in Magdalen College, Oxford and Magdalene College, Cambridge) – /ˈmɔːdlɨn/
- MaliVai Washington – /mæləˈviːə/ (mal-ə-VEE-ə)
- Matraca Berg – /məˈtreɪsə/ (mə-TRAY-sə)
- Michellie Jones – /mɨˈkiːli/ (mə-KEE-lee)
- Monta Ellis – /ˈmɒnteɪ/ (MON-tay)
- Picabo Street – /ˈpiːkəbuː/
- Ralph – traditionally /ˈreɪf/, as with Ralph Fiennes, Ralph Vaughan Williams; now usually the intuitive /ˈrælf/
- Rise – occasionally /ˈriːsə/ (REE-sə, after Risë Stevens: the diaeresis over the e of Risë indicates that it is not a silent e)
- Seamus – /ˈʃeɪməs/ (spelling Séamus is regular in Irish)
- Sean – /ˈʃɔːn/ (spelling Seán is regular in Irish)
- Shan Foster – /ˈʃeɪn/
- Siobhan – /ʃɨˈvɔːn/ (shə-VAWN; spelling Siobhán is regular in Irish)
- Stephen Curry – /ˈstɛfən/, instead of the more common (in American English) /ˈstiːvən/
- Wynonna Judd – /waɪˈnoʊnə/ (wy-NOH-nə)
Read more about this topic: List Of Names In English With Counterintuitive Pronunciations
Famous quotes containing the word names:
“The world is never the same as it was.... And that’s as it should be. Every generation has the obligation to make the preceding generation irrelevant. It happens in little ways: no longer knowing the names of bands or even recognizing their sounds of music; no longer implicitly understanding life’s rules: wearing plaid Bermuda shorts to the grocery and not giving it another thought.”
—Jim Shahin (20th century)
“It is a sad truth, but we have lost the faculty of giving lovely names to things. Names are everything. I never quarrel with actions. My one quarrel is with words.... The man who could call a spade a spade should be compelled to use one. It is the only thing he is fit for.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)