Conference turris::womannotes-v2

    Broomhead -- like the sweeping tool and that lump between my
    ears.
    
    It's fun watching people hear it first, then waver as they try
    to decide whether or not to say something, and if so, what.
    
    						Ann B.

    St.Hilaire - Saint Hill-air
    
    (*not* Saint Hilary & *not* Sta-layer)
    
    
    Lorna
    (Lawna with a New England accent!)
    

    Jody - just like it sounds (real name is Judith, but I don't answer
    to it, or Judy, and never spell my name Jodi - too diminutive)
    
    Bobbitt - like hobbit, only with a b at the beginning and two t's
    at the end (some people miss that, causing them e-mail consternation).
    
    -Jody
    
    (who took until the 3rd or 4th grade to realize that rabbit doesn't
     have two t's on the end like Bobbitt)

    Thanks Lorna, I guessed wrong about that (in my own mind) months
    ago.  And Ann, people show NO restraint when they hear my cat's
    name, they always comment.  (Lint Brain, and I love her dearly.)
    
    If anyone has trouble with Olson, you're probably working for the
    wrong company (even though KO spells it wrong, its pronounced the
    same ;-).
    
    DougO

    Augustine is pronounced
    	AW-gus-teen
    
    some people pronounce it aw-GUS-tin, and i don't always realize
    they're talking about me.
    
    e <- prounounced "ee" or "liz"

    Well the correct pronounciation of Reinke is Rhine-key. Don
    and I tried for a number of years to get people to use the
    correct pronounciation and finally gave it up as a lost cause
    (tho I still have a warm spot in my heart for those who continue
    to pronounce our name right.) We've pretty much settled for
    Ren-key...and that is how our kids pronounce the name. (But we
    don't answer to Renk or Rank or Rink) and I used to think I had
    problems when I was single and my last name was Power and people
    kept adding an s to the end of my name.
    
    Bonnie

    
    
        ok...so far i've only been a reader in this conference, but
    i couldn't resist this one, since EVERYONE seems to mis-pronounce
    it....go ahead and try
    
        ...it's not "ho", nor "how"..or "hew" or "hog" or "howg"...
    
        ...it's "huff"...like rough and tough...not like through
    or dough or any of the many others....
    
      my name is of an English descent i think, since my father traced
    his family tree back to the first "hough" left Chester, England
    in the late 1600's...there's even a little village south of
    Chester called "Hough"...and in Chester there is a "Hough Green"
    and "Hough Cottage"....went there 2 years ago and took pictures
    next to the signs..!!
    
    
      (and, yes...my father works for DEC also...all in the family!!)
    
    
                        Kathy Hough
    
    

    I've heard my name pronounced every way possible.  Depending on
    the situation, I don't correct people.
    
    The 'LA' is pronounced like the LA in lab, then 'BEE' as in bumble.
    The accent is on the first syllable.  Labbee is french for 'the
    abbey', and was originally spelled l'Abbee.
    
    My first name, Colleen, is also pronounced incorrectly.  It's CAW-lean
    -- not CO-lean.  It's an irish name for girl.  People sometimes call 
    me Pauline (arghh).
    
    You can imagine how often my name is misspelled.  People invariably
    miss one of the double letters.
    
    -Colleen Labbee

    Boy - ah' - gin (as in the alcoholic beverage)
    
    	Actually, the last syllable is kind of in between "gin" and
    	"zhin".
    
    I couldn't begin to list the various attempts at pronouncing
    this I've heard.
    
    Incidentally, in Armenian, it means "son of the dyer" (as in one
    who dyes cloth).
    
    --- jerry

    Shar-buh-no
    
    Not Karbanio or Tcharbonieu
    
    Dana Charbonneau
    
    PS was thumbing thru the old family bible and up until ca. 1890
    it was usually spelled Sharbono. Someone decided to reclaim the
    family heritage. 

Zurko rhymes with Jerko (long O at the end). Thank goodness no one realized
that til I was 16.

Mez has a short e. It's my initials, and also short for Mezzanine.
	Mez

    Several misconceptions regarding the pronunciation of Ervin...
    
    Er-ving 
    Er-win  \
    Ev-ans   \_______These also represent common mis-spellings of the
    Ur-bin   /       name...
    Ur-ban  /
    
    Proper pronunciation = Er (rhymes with Grrrrrr)
                           Vin (sounds like, but not to be confused
                                with Win)....
    
                      Er-vin
    
    The only time the name was categorically pronounced correctly was
    during the Watergate hearings when Sen. Sam Ervin cut a substantial
    presence to mainstream America...over the T.V. tubes and on into
    the hearts of the viewers.
    
    But to simplify things I may just go by the sum total of 4 letters...
    
    Zoe E.  (As in Zoe-ee) 
    
    I *am not* the senator...
    
    Zoe  (formerly Laura, *never* pronounced Lor-ee!)
    

    To tell you the truth, I don't know the correct way to say it. 
    My father-in-law said it 3 different ways in one afternoon. Here
    are some:
    
    Fail
    FAY-yell
    FAY-hell
    fay_HELL
    fay-YELL
    Fah-HELL
    FAH_hell
    
    I usually use FAY-hell or FAY-yell.  The most popular use is Fail,
    but I don't care for it personally. 
    
    As for spelling, it has been spelled incorrectly by Faheill, Fayell,
    Fahall, Fabel, Fakel (on my driver's license!) and of course, Fahill.
    
    My maiden name is easy.
    
    COO-ter-marsh. (spelled Coutermarsh, but has been misspelled every
    possible way you can imagine!)  
    
    K.C.

    
    
    ...that's       Aa    (ahhhh; remember the dr. with a popsicle stick?)
          
                    ge    (hard 'g', short 'e' ; like 'get' without
                           the 't')
    
                    sen   (pronounced more like son)
                                  
    
          and the accent is on the first syllable.
     
    
   The proper Danish pronunciation, I'm told, is O'-son (long 'o'),
    but that didn't last long in the American 'sound it out' society.
        

    My maiden name was Miller.  No problem there.
    
    My married name is Irlbacher and pronounced in so many different
    ways that when I got to London last fall it took the hotel desk
    15 minutes to find my reservation.  (found under Ellbater, figure
    t_h_a_t!)
    
    It is pronounced as if it sounded like "Earl-bocker" and is of
    German origin.
    
    Marilyn
    
    

 Incorrect but common pronunciations:

    Le vesk'
    Le ves kyoo'

 Americanized but correct enough for everyday usage:

    Le vake'    rhymes with rake (preferred)
    Le veck'    rhymes with heck (also acceptable) 

 Actually, the first e should be upside down (phonetically)- nybody know how
to do that? :-)

 the Doctah

You'd think with such a good Anglo-Saxon name I
wouldn't have any problems,

But NO ONE could every get my maiden name correctly over the
telephone!

	Glide-en	(rhymes with slide)
	Glite-en	( ditto)
	Glitten		(rhymes with kitten)

I usually ended up saying, "You know, like the PAINT company!"
No wonder I took my husband's name, WALTON (you know, like
the mountain!)

And I HATE it when people call me Gloria!!!! or Vicky!!!

Victoria (you know,like the queen!)

    
    I'm so proud I got 17 out of twenty!( Missed Hough, Levesque and
    Aageson.)
                                                                   
    Piket is pronounced as if there is a C in there, like the fence.
    
    I don't know of anyone else in this country who spells it this way
    except for my father's brother's family. According to an international
    phone directory there is someone in Austria, where my father is from, 
    who spells it this way. He's probably related, but I haven't checked
    yet.
    
    Absolutely NOONE spells it right the first time.
    
    Me: It's piket. P-I-K-E-T.
    Them: P-I-C-K...
    Me: No. P-I-K-e-t-
    Them: P-I-C...
    
    I don't think my name has ever been written by a stranger without
    a little crossout in the middle where they automaticlly put the
    C. It's as if they think I spelled my own name wrong when I told
    it to them.
    
    When I was a kid my mother actually had us listed in the phone book
    two ways so people could find us. Now I just explain to people that 
    it's the economical spelling.
                    
    Roberta Lynn Piket

        Fraser, Scots version :== Fray_Serr (Number of 'rr's depends on
        depth of burrr).
        
        Not Fray_zer, or Fray_zier, or Frah-zer.
        
        Andrew Alexander Grant Fraser.
        
        
        
        

    
    	An EASY one, Jasniewski is pronounced;
    
    	Jazz-new-ski
    
    	There's always the Polish pronounciation;
    
    	Jiz_neff_ski - I think...
    
    	You can also call me by my pseudonym, Joe Jas, for short.
    
    

        My last name (which is my username) is of Latvian origin, and
    I've been told it roughly translates as "near the swamp".
    
        Most people pronounce it wrong, as Purr Mall, which makes me
    think of a collection of cat shops.  When I was doing lighting for
    an improv group, they made up a line to remember my last name and
    how to pronounce it.  Here it is:
    
    "On lights was Tony Purmal, and that rhymes with thermal and that's
     cool!"
    
    ASP

	Krupinski -> crew - PIN - ski

	Common incorrect pronunciations I hear: ka-PIN-ski
                                                ka - PRINCE - ski

	Just don't call me late for dinner.


						Tom_K

Iannuzzo:

	most properly: Yah-NOOT-zoh

	most commonly: eye-ah-NOO-zoh

	Rarely spelled correctly, and usually greeted with a blank look 
	or a "uh..." over the phone.  A basic, Sicilian name.  After all, 
	as an Italian hotel clerk put it, it's much easier than something 
	obscure like "Cook"...

Catherine:

	with-a-C.  No diminutives accepted.

    	Scott Critz
    
    	Scott - rhymes with snot.
    
    	Critz - say it as if it were spelled ``Crites.''
    
    	Yes, I know there's a town in Virginia with this name.
    	Yes, I know there's another Critz at DIGITAL.
    
    	German name; ancestor was a mercenary who liked fighting, so
    	he came over to Virginia back in the 1700s. Most of the family
    	stayed in and around Virginia. One went to Erie, PA, not far
    	from Cleveland Ohio, where my grandpappy was born.
    
    	No, I can't begin to remember all the names I've been called
    	(accidentally and on purpose).
    
    	I felt sorry for a nice young woman I went to high school with.
    	Her name was Pam Pooch (pronouced `Poke"). Almost everyone
    	(including teachers) called her `POOCH' (as in `doggie').
    
    	Scott (rhymes with snot)

    Tamzen Cannoy
    
    Tam'-zen (accent on the first sylable) No diminutives accepted.
    
    Ca-nnoy 	Just like annoy with a hard "c" in front.
    
    Tamzen is Cornish (from Cornwall, England) and is feminine for Thomas.
    
    Cannoy is French, actually from Brittany, I believe. But it is also the
    name of a tribe of Delaware Indians (spelled Canoy), so there is a bit
    of confusion in the old charts as to which way it should be spelled. 
        
    I can't tell you the amount of grief this name caused me as a child,
    but I love it now!
    
    Tamzen

    DONAHUE  -  like Phil .... but no relation.
    
    That was easy!
    
    Susan

    this is fun...
    
    KOSKI: caw (like the sound a crow makes) ski (a popular winter sport)
    
    It's a derivation of a Finnish name - not Polish
    
    It's not mine I borrowed it from my ex-husband... 8^)
    
    It's easier than spelling out my maiden name: Schlichter (you want
    to see misspellings?) shhhlick-ter
    
    Gail, as in 32-63mph winds 

    GIUNTA  -- you pronounce it "jun-ta", not gwinta as the i comes
    before the u, not after it.  I usually tell people to
    say it like a mispronounced military coup, and spell it GI, like
    a soldier.  There's this great tendancy to flip those vowels,
    especially by people who are not Italian.  Just remember, in Italian,
    the 'i' after the 'g' makes the 'g' sound like a 'j'.  Like Julia
    in Italian is Giulia (and I even know one).
    
    Whenever I give my name to people to take a message or write it
    down somewhere, I always have to say "My name is Cathy, I'll spell
    it, G I (long pause, or they'll put that U first) U NTA."  I learned
    a long time ago that if I said it first, it wouldn't matter that
    I would start with a G, people would just write down J, so now I
    don't give them that chance.
    
    And whenever I call a doctor's office or someplace where they need
    to check my records, I have to spell it and then say "look under
    GUI if you can't find it."
    
    Cathy
    

    	Douglas		from the Scottish words meaning dark water,
    		  	only one "s"
    
    	Allen		Family name, from some long lost branch somewhere
    
    	Gordon		not Gorden, or Gordin, or Gordan...
    			I'm a Scottish Gordon, not a Jewish Gordon.
    
    My sisters are:
    
    	Davida		Feminine form of David - [da VEE da]
    
    	Roxanne		From Cyrano De Bergerac (sp?), but spelled with
    			an extra "ne"
    
    						--D

    Van Fleet - like a fleet of vans.  It's my mother's maiden name.
    My mother and her 2 sisters were the last of this branch of the
    Van Fleet family.  Back in the 50's when they all got married
    they tried to get their husbands to take the name.  I guess this
    was just too radical for the 50's because none of them would go
    for it.  So....when my parents got divorced in the late 70's
    my Mom went back to her maiden name.  My sister was so P.O.'d
    at my Dad that she changed her name to Van Fleet too.  Then,
    when I got divorced I decided that I wanted a name that I hadn't
    inherited from the men in my life (who I didn't like much and 
    respected even less).  So, I changed my name to Van Fleet too.
    
    For the record, my maiden name was Shavlik (as in Chadwick with
    the appropriate consonant variations).  My married name was
    Sneed (obvious but it always got spelled Snead as in Sam the golfer).
    
    First name, Nanci.  Same pronunciation, different spelling.  I have
    very rarely met anyone who spelled both my first and last name
    correctly at any time in my life even though I spell it out
    every time.
    
    Nanci Van Fleet

    
    RE:. 30 Yeah, but is that like Phil DONna-who, or Phil DONna-hyoo?
    
    People have more difficulty spelling mine than saying it, but 
    sometimes I think they hesitate to say it because they really know 
    how but don't want to be embarrassed if they find out they're wrong:
    QUEER-ee.  I always dreaded the first day of school when we all
    waited for our name to be called to take our seat as assigned, there
    were always a few kids who snickered.
    
    As far as I know my family are the only ones who spell it this way, 
    though I've be looked in phone books for cities all over the US, 
    Canada, and France.  (As far as I know we are Frenchies all the way 
    back as far as anyone can remember...)  There are some Quiry's in
    Paris and some in Montreal.  There are some Query's around too, but 
    they're Irish.
    
    I've had mail addressed to Quirly, Quirty, Quiriv, Quimby, Quinty,
    and probably others I can't remember.  Thoose are the most common.
    Most people have a very difficult time writing that second "i",
    even when I'm spelling it for them.
    
    My former married name was Higginbotham, and for awhile I thought
    it was kind of fun.  (The -botham was pronounced bottom.)  When
    my friends were confronted with the new name they said "OK, we'll 
    call ya Higgie or Bottoms, which will it be?"  I chose Higgie, 
    obviously.  (For some unknown reason, this group liked to form 
    familiar names from the last name and not the first...)
                            
    CQ

    WAHS kum - with the second syllable kinda swallowed.
    
    For the first 2 months I knew my ex, I couldn't pronounce it either!
    
    My maiden name was worse - Diehl, as in 'Let's Make a Deal'.  Anyone
    pronouncing it Dial was considered a rude salesperson and got hung
    up on.
    
    Alison 

    I think I was 5 before I pronounced it correctly:
    
    Sigh-E'-C   (three syllables)
    
    *Not* Say-see, Sassy, etc. although mispronounciations of it
    do not bother me.  The only person who ever said it right the
    first time was my high school spanish teacher.  I think that the
    vowels are pronounced the same way in Spanish as in Italian, which
    is the origin of the name.
    	Linda

    Ann Johnston - just like it looks if you notice the 't' and bother
    to say it.  In my life-outside-DEC, I'm "Annie"
    
    it _WAS_ [is still, actually]  Annie-Luise Caslmere
    
	    AN-ee-loo-EE-seh CASH-uh-ll-mar
    
    		a polyglot legacy from my Scots/Irish/Welsh ancestry.
    Annie for my grandmother Annie Stewart
    Luise is Spanish, but my grandmother was Irish, Luise-Siobhan
    Caslmere -- God alone knows, my grandfather was Welsh, but it _sounds_
    	vaguely Irish.
    
    Having been born to it, I love it -- I think it's beautiful and
    those who love me do bother to get it right.  It may look a little
    peculiar but it _doesn't_ look like "Annie-Louse Cayzellmeer"!
    
      Ann [a-lc-j]
    
    [oh yeah, Rick's surname is Johnston...he doesn't mind that I use
    it.]
      
    

Jenna - like Jenn-A-fer with out the 'fer' on the end...it's not Gina
        which is the most common thing I get called (of those that
        are printable...:-)). And I am NOT NOT NOT named after that
        retch on Dallas!!! I'm much older than that show. I was named
        after a friend of my mom's who's the oldest Jenna I know (I'm
        the second oldest).

Thibault - pronounced Tee-bo (long o) the 'h' and the junk on the end 
           are silent. I've heard some incredible pronunciations of
           this one..my favorite being 'Thybolt'. The french folk back
  	   home in Vermont have no problem tho'.

Ellen  (L N)
Finkelsen  (FINKEL sen)
           (fink as in rat on, el as in L, sen sounds like son)

IT IS NOT finkelSTEIN, finkelSTIEN, or finkelSTEEN.

Maiden name is WUORIO (WAR-e-o)

Got a lot of oreo or woreo when in school (can't remember the
mispronouciations). 

Wuorio is Finnish (sort of...originally VVuodejene)  or somesuch nonsense...
There are a few unrelated WUORIO's kicking around.

Finkelsen is Norwegian.

    
    Jeffries pronounced Jeff-frees not Jeff-er-ies or Jeff-ers. 
    
    You would not believe how many time my name is mispelled. I have
    had a new manager for 2 months and this week is the first time I
    have reciever mail from her. At  our first staff meeting she asked
    "How the hell do you get your mail, everything that I send to you
    comes back saying your aren't there". I smiled and told her that
    maybe my name had been misspelled and spelled it for her.  It took
    an urgent message not getting to me for her to finally correct the
    spelling of my name. 
    
    Pat is easy, I've never had a proplem with that, my maiden name
    was Smith, never had a problem with that either.

    re .32, regarding the filing of names.  It really drives crazy that
    many times when I have to pick something up from the cleaners, or
    if I have something on layaway, or whatever, I find that my name
    has been filed under H, instead of S.  I can't understand why anyone
    would look at the name St.Hilaire and choose to file it under H!
     Do they think St. is a middle initial of some kind?  But, of course,
    whoever is looking up the name, looks under the opposite of what
    it was filed under.  So, they come back and say, "I can't find it",
    and I have to say, "Did you look under the S's or the H's?" etc,
    and they always find it under whatever one they didn't look under
    first!
    
    The name St.Hilaire seems to completely dumfound half of the people hearing
    it for the first time. ( The other half think it's St.Claire.) 
    If they hear the name they can't seem to begin to imagine how to
    spell it, and if they see it they often think it's St.Hilary.  It's
    French, of course, courtesy of my ex-husband's father's family.
    ( There's a Mount St.Hilaire in Quebec and a town in France named
    St.Hilaire.)  I'm not French, though.  I'm English and Scottish,
    but I like St.Hilaire because I think it's much more unique and
    interesting than my maiden name, Burns.
    
    Lorna
       

re: giving a simple last  name when ordering out food

 The translation of Levesque is Bishop. When ordering chinese food at a local
establishment, my mother would often give Bishop in order to minimize the
potential for gross spellings as well as eliminate confusion caused by
spelling over the phone. Well this caused some confusion because my brothers
and I never knew which name she gave. One time I asked for Levesque and the
cashier says "No have oder for le vake." "Well check Bishop," I said, thinking
it was a simple mixup. After a few minutes of the cashier looking around,
I checked the package that had been sitting there. It  said "Bisup." It was
ours. I thought I'd die laughing. It's a running joke in our family, and
that was 10 years ago.

 The Doctah

    	When I have to give my name over the phone, I never say it
    	anymore.  I spell my last name first, then spell my first
    	name.
    
    	It's not that my name is hard to pronounce.  It's just that
    	there are so many other names close to it that the odds
    	of anyone getting it right the first time are astronomical.
    
    	If I just SAY my name, it comes back as Collins, Conklin,
    	Connelly, or even Conlin and Conlan.
    
    	It is my maiden name (which I took back the day I started
    	with Digital, since I intended to get divorced and didn't
    	want to go through the pain of changing everything with
    	Digital when I *did* get divorced 18 months later.)
    
    	My father got our Conlon family crest some years ago, and
    	there was a lion in it (signifying royalty) with a story
    	about an Irish king that was deposed some centuries back.
    	According to the story that came with the crest, many/most
    	of the names that sound similar to Conlon are descended from
    	this same king.  (It would seem that after he stopped being
    	king, he found other ways to keep busy.)  :-)

    	As for Suzanne, no matter how clearly I say it to some people,
    	it often comes back to me as "Susan" (even if I spell it.)
    	It makes me wonder sometimes if people assume that my name
    	is really Susan (and that I'm just trying to make it more
    	"fancy" by pronouncing it Suzanne.)  :-)
    
    	Sometimes it helps more if I say my name is "Suzanne with a
    	Z" (but even then, it'll come back to me as "Suzan.")  So I
    	just spell the whole thing.  :-)
    
    	Oh, as others have stated, I prefer no diminutives.  I use
    	my entire first name at all times.

    
    My daughter gets that too.  I named her Suzanne because I always
    wanted to be a Suzanne.  There are so many Susans.  You should see
    the confusion with our two names!
         
    
    Just for the record .....it's DON-a-hyoo   :^)
    
    Susan

    Funny, most of the ones I guessed were right.  I have always made
    it a point to learn how to pronounce names correctly.  French-based
    names are my specialty.  (hear that, Doctah?  ;^) )
    
    When I have to give my name over the phone, I always just say "F
    as in Frank, a-h, e-l."
    
    My maiden name is 1/2 Canadian French, 1/2 Blackfoot Indian,
    Americanized.
    
    My married name is, I think, Phillipine. (Please forgive the spelling;
    I said that I could pronounce, not spell!)
    
    I love this topic; names facinate me!
    
    K.C.

    
    I usually try to get names right also, and don't understand why
    some people don't seem to care how they pronounce (someone else's)
    name.  This all reminded me of a guy I used to work with who was 
    Hawaiin and his last name was Kaopuiki.  Our coworkers would most 
    often mispronounce it Kapookie, and I always prided myself on 
    saying it right (I didn't guess how it was pronounced, I just 
    _listened_ when he told me) with all the vowels pronounced: 
    KAH-o-POO-ee-key.
    
    CQ

    Well, with my last name...  
    
    Actually, my problem is more that people simply don't *believe*
    that it's for real.  You wouldn't believe how many ways people can
    find to misspell a four-letter word!  But it is fun to just give
    my name, and wait for the hesitation - you can hear the thoughtwaves.
    
    I have discovered, however, that if I spell my name, most people
    will still assume that they have heard the spelling wrong, so I
    have taken to saying "that's LUST, as in the seven deadly sins!"
    People chuckle, but they never spell it wrong!
    
    Actually the 'real' pronounciation is German, with the 'u' sounding
    like the 'oo' in foot, but that is strictly a lost cause!
    
    And I wish I had a dime for every time someone asks a variant on
    "I bet you take a lot of ribbing about your name"!  I really don't
    get a lot of jokes - but that question...  (Although there have
    been a few incidents...)  It is fun, that's why I kept it when I
    divorced.   
    
    Linda Lust 
    
    With the new Mass plates, and the new slogan on it, one of our cars
    has a license plate that reads:   
                           
                                 LUST
                         The Spirit of America

My first name is Steve, which shouldn't give anyone trouble.  It's short
for Steven, (not Stephen), but I tend to prefer the familiarity of the
shorter name.

Now my last name, Lionel, is interesting.  Pronunciation first.  Any of the
following are acceptable, though I will use the first on the list:

	LYE-oh-NELL
	LYE-uh-NELL
	LYE-uh-nul (a shorter sound than "null")

The last is what my father's family uses, I note.

Some wrong attempts:

	LEE-oh-NELL
	lin-NELL

I have seen every possible mangling of the name, though the most common is
Lionelle (possibly because of the way I pronounce it).  But the biggest problem
isn't spelling or pronunciation - it's getting people to recognize that
Lionel is my LAST name!  I wish I had a nickel for every time I have people
assume that Lionel is my first name, or get mail addressed to "Mr. Lionel
Steven".  (Why does that make more sense than Steven Lionel?)  Even folks
who have known me for years get it wrong. 

As for its origin, or my heritage, I haven't had ANYONE EVER guess correctly.
Usually they'll guess English (because of the name) or Scandanavian (because
of my appearance).  Not even close.  In actuality, I am the first one in my
family born with the name Lionel; my father's family is German Jewish and
emigrated from Germany in the 1930s.  Until that time, the family name had
been Loewenheim (I may have the spelling slightly off), which meant "home of
the lion".  Like many new Americans, they chose to "Americanize" their name.
At first they were going to pick Lane, which was related to "lion", but
my father's name was Frank, and since Frankie Lane was a popular singer at
the time, they decided against it.  My father's sister, who was in later
years to become the advertising executive responsible for such
immortal phrases as "Sony, no baloney" and "Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee",
selected Lionel, which means "young lion".

My mother's family is Russian Jewish, my grandmother having been born in
Russia.  Her family name is Cohn.

Just about everyone is surprised that I'm Jewish on both sides.  I've even
had people tell me I look "Aryan", which I try very hard not to get upset
about.

Usually the first question I get when someone meets me is "Does your family
make the trains?", referring to the popular Lionel toy trains.  The answer
is "no", especially because Lionel was the middle name of the trains'
creator, Joshua Lionel Cowern.  (And the popularity of the trains is in part
why I couldn't get the node name LIONEL, as it was already being used by
a cluster that had trains as its name theme!)

				Steve

    Faiman = FAY-mun
    
    although it was almost certainly FIEmun in the original German (my
    paternal grandfather's family was apparently Bohemian).  And of
    course the mail is usually addressed to Neil Fairman, or Falman, or
    something.
    
    	-Neil (not Neal!)

    
    	Re .44-
    
    	Yeah, my mother used to use "Jason" when ordering pizza, instead
    of going through the "confusion" of using the name J_A_S_N_I_E_W_S_K_I
    or whatever. Did wonders for my identity...
    
    	Joe Jas

Well, I usually say it's pronounced just like it's spelled, but then when I
tell people to spell it just the way it's pronounced it always gets butchered
anyway. For starters, it's written differently than it looks in my username.
Del Balso, is what appears in my signature, including the space, although I
must admit I often simply type it as DelBalso. It's Italian and means "of the
woods" or something like that. Pronunciation is "del BAL-so", where the last
part rhymes with "also" and the first part is like "the farmer in the Dell"

John Thomas Anthony Del Balso, but don't ever call me any of those things -
the name is Jack

-Jack

    <--(.50)
    
    I dunno about the "aryan" bit, Steve, but you sure's hell don't
    look standard Ashkenazi!

    ...you're far too tall. :-)
    
    						=maggie

    re, .44 and .52
    
    I've done the same thing!  I always used the name, Elliot.  
    
    Anna
    

    
    The Chinese take out where I live uses the last 4 digits of your
    phone number, this eliminates the name problem.

    When I was in high school, the only way my friends (the ones that
    I had) could spell my last name was to sing it to the "Mickey Mouse
    Club March":  C-O-U, T-E-R, M-A-R-S-H!
    
    You would be surprised how many people want to spell it Courtemanche!
    That is a whole other family.
    
    Another way people remembered my name was by saying "The Okephenoke
    Swamp and the Couter Marsh." (I HATED that one!)
    
    And of course, in elementary school, it was "Cootie Marsh has Cooties".
    
    I am one of the ultimate excuses for a woman to take her husband's
    name, although if I hear one more Fahel-ure (pronounced Failure)
    joke, I will scream!
    
    K.C. (not of the Sunshine Band, nor am I a coach!)
    
    P.S. None of my brothers seem to have any problem.

    Re .44, and .55, I use the name Hilary when ordering pizza.  Works
    fine.
    
    Because of my New England accent, I have a tendancy to mispronounce
    my *own* first name.  I usually call myself "Lawna," so I've had
    some people think my name is spelled Launa.  Then, I have to tell
    them it's Lorna, and it's sort of embarrassing.  It just doesn't
    come naturally to me to pronounce my r's.  Maybe I should have just
    changed it to Launa long ago!
    
    Lorna
    

    Another big problem I have with the last name Bobbitt is that, even
    when I spell it for people and they write it down correctly, if
    they've written it in script it is invariably read the next time
    as "Babbitt".  I never understood the consequences of this could
    be disastrous until I had a ring engraved.  I made them re-engrave
    it, of course, but they had to re-engrave it on the other side of
    the inside of the ring.  Now, due to poor planning, it reads "Judith
    M. 14K Bobbitt".  I guess that means "I am golden". ;)
    
    As for the "M", it stands for Munro.  Like the Scottish clan.  Like
    the 5th president of the US (although he changed the spelling).
    History has it that the clan Munro built its castle on land given
    to the clan by King Richard the Lionheart (I think it was him),
    in return for aiding him in a war.  In return all he wanted them
    to do was bring him snow from the top of a nearby mountain every
    so often so he could cool his wine with it - that's my kind of rent!
    
    -Jody
    

    "Hutchins" in itself is easy to pronounce, but people have this
    need to add letters...
    	Hutchings
    	Hutchkins
    	Hutchinson
    	Huckins
    
    ...and then I tell them I live in Worcester!  (Worchester, Wurster,
    Wuhstah...)
    
    Just call me Judi
    

    But it's so easy -- just like "hey you!" with a "V".
    
    Most people, seeing it in writing, just kind of go "Vvvv..." and
    wait for me to supply the rest.
    
    Most common mispronounciations:  ve-LOO, ve-LUX, VIL-e-ux... and
    I won't even begin to tell you about the mispellings.
    
    My maiden name's Temple (can't get much simpler), and for some foolish
    reason, growing up I always thought it would be "kinda fun" to have
    one of these tough names that always has to be spelled out.  O,
    the ignorance of youth!
    
    It's French (painfully obvious, I know), and not terribly romantic.
    As best we can figure, it means "the old men".
    
    Incidentally (and I really hope I don't offend anyone with this, I 
    don't mean to), I considered hyphenating my name when we married,
    but it became a joke between our families that Temple-Veilleux sounded
    like a place of worship for French-Canadian Catholic converts to
    Judaism.
    
    Just call me -               ...Lisa V...
    

    To Lisa V:
    
    I went to school with a girl named Veilleux, and we pronounced it
    VEY-er.  Close enough? 
    
    K.C.

    <-.61
    
    Thanks, Marge.  
  
      
    -Dotti.

    <-- .63
    
    Actually, ve-YER is the "real" French pronunciation; our way is
    Anglicized.  But we've found that most people can say VAY-you more
    easily.
    
    Besides, it wouldn't be as snappy to say "Just like "he yer!" with
    a "V", would it? ;-)
    
                        ...Lisa (with a) V...
    

    Huxtable  --  HUX te bel.  Both e's are schwa's.  Presumably
    British, but if anyone knows better, let me know.  I don't
    know what it means, speculation has it as a contraction of
    "huckster's table" or somesuch. 

    Common misspellings:  Constable, Hurtable, Huckstable,
    Huxstable.  Usually not mispronounced.

    My birth name was Pettijohn, two pronounciations allowed:

	PET tee john'	(first syllable strongly accented, last secondarily)
	PET ti john'    (only difference is short i in the middle)

    First pronounciation most often used by my Southern MidWest
    family.  This name was rarely mispronounced or misspelled,
    (although I usually spelled it out on the phone), unless
    spelled Pettyjohn, which we accepted.  My grandfather and
    about half of his brothers changed from "y" to "i," claiming
    that it was easier to write.  I agree!  The name is probably
    an English spelling variant of "petit-jean" (sp?), which
    would make it semantically equivalent to "Johnson." 

    -- Linda (simple, I hope!) Lee (spelled as in Robert E.) Huxtable

    
    Greenhalge - This gets butchered alot.  My boss calls me "green algae".
    Correct pronunciation is:  green-alj with the h being silent and an 
    emphasis on the "al"
    
    Beckie

    Maurer is germanic and I don't mind if you mumble it.  I always have to
    spell it when speaking to Anglos.  I loved living in Switzerland where
    it is a fairly common name; for nearly 5 years I never had to spell it.
    It means "mason" (literally "wall" plus "-er" ... wall-builder). 
    
    We say --
    
    MAO (like the former chinese leader) - RUR (like when the starter
    on your car is getting worn out).  
    
    Usually with accent on the first syllable, but it's a mood thing. The
    Swiss Germans have a variety of weird ways to pronounce the initial
    vowel, depending upon dialect.  They also put the accent on the second
    syllable mostly. 
    
    Helen

    
    Lupacchino...lu-pa-CHEE-no in this country, lu-pa-KEE-no in Rome.
    
    My dad's Italian and my mother's Irish and German.
    
    am

       I'm just amazed that so many folks have problem names. I always
       thought I was alone.

       My first name is Austrian, Liesl (like in the Sound of Music). I
       answer to both leesel (American) and leezel (Austrian) though
       I'm beginning to prefer leezel. It's said sort of fast with no
       separation of sylables. 

       Combine that with my almost-ex's name Kolbe (pronounced colby)
       and add my fair skin and hair, and everyone guesses I'm of German
       extraction. Not so, my maternal grandparents came from Cornwall,
       England and my father's birth mother from Ireland.

       My middle name is Yvonne (E-vone) after my Father's adopted
       Mother. I never use it except as an inital, you know, so no one
       will confuse me with all the other liesls. :*)

       I use lisa for all call in orders and always have to spell Kolbe.
       If I don't spell before I speak it's always written with a C. liesl

    Heinrich is my formal given name. I started to use it during my
    long stay in Australia - I found that my "real" given name was difficult
    for English speaking people. People in the German speaking part
    of Switzerland, as well as many of my friends elsewhere, call me
    Heiri. That is Hi (as in buy) ri (with an i as in pit).
    
    When I used Heiri in OZ, people called me Heidi, which tends to
    be a girls name, and were astonished when they met the fully bearded
    me.

	The name is Lee(d)berg - don't say the d.  The spelling
	is berg not burg.  This is a Swedish name not German
	and as far as I know anyone with the same last name is
	related to me.

	The first name is Peggy - (I don't answer to Margaret
	unless it is my father.)

	_peggy

Gee, I thought I was the only one who automatically spelled their name
over the phone.  My last name is pronounced:
  
HEFF er nen

The most common mispronunciations is Hefferman

I have gotten mail for hefferman, heffner, hoffman.  Its really
amazing how may bits get dropped!

People tend to think it is German but it is an Irish name.  I get a
lot of Hugh Heffner jokes (Yuch!) and got Heffalump jokes when I was
young (from Winnie the Pooh).  I've been called Heff at various stages
of my life but prefer John.  I have to confess that I never really
liked my last name much - maybe I'll take my wife's name if I ever get
married...

john

Lots of jokes about my name! - GRABAZS rhymes with 'rubbish' with
the 'r' kind of rolled off the tongue.  Oh, and my first name, Debess,
is pronounced DEB  es.

    Okay, from what I've seen so far, (I'll admit I haven't read them
    all) most of you seem to have genuinely difficult names to pronounce
    and/or spell.  Simpson (as in OJ no relation) is pretty straight
    forward and is my married name.  Wallace, (pronounced WALL iss) which 
    I always thought was pretty easy too has been pronunced wall ace
    and spelled Walis, Waliss, Wallis, and Walliss, is my maiden name.
    I was once in my cousin's wedding and was introduced as Michael
    (notice masculine) Wallace instead of Michelle (notice feminine)
    and the best man was introduced as Michelle Fiorentino
    (FEE-or-e-n-tino) instead of Michael.  I was so embarrassesd.
    
    Another one that people have a hard time with is Michelle is actually
    my middle name and for legal purposes carry my first inital L in
    front of it.  It took me at least 6mo to 1 year to get my profile
    to read:  L. Michelle Simpson !!!  At the doc's office they have
    my records under Michelle half of the time and under Leanne 
    (LEE ann) the other half.  Credit cards and the like are often sent
    to Michelle L. Simpson.
    
    I wonder how many alias' I have on various documents???!!!!!
    
    Enough babbling
    
    -L Michelle Simpson-
    
    

    I HATE giving out my last name at doctor's offices, restaurants,
    etc. I usually use my first name only - even at work. Folks as for
    the last name, and I tell them - "forget it, plus, how many 'Mona's
    can there be in one building?"
    
    
    So on the first name (I do get problems here too) its:
    
    	MONA  - "O" like in HOME!
    	
    		 Not Monique, not Monica, not Maura, not Maureen,
                 not Martha, not Margo. (I hear all of these!!)
    
    
    Last name:
    
    	THIBODEAU:	"TIB-OH-DOE"
    
    			Not "THIB-DOE", not "THEEBO", not "THIB-DEW",
    			Not "TEEBO"
                                                               

    Otto Hasibeder
    
    	Well the obvious mis-spellings are Auto and Hasabetter.
    
    Otto preferably pronounced Awe-TOE, but Awe-DOE is usual.
    Hasibeder HAS-i(like 'it' without the t)-bedder.
    
    Both parents from the Salzburg region of Austria, father and
    grandfather (and now son) named the same.  Maybe one day, there
    will be an Otto Hasibeder XXXVIII :-)
    
    True Austrian (German) pronunciation: OWE-TOE HASS-EE-BAY-TA
    
    Apart from my Dad's sister in Salzburg, Dad in Brome, Quebec, and me in
    Calgary, Alberta, I challenge all DECcies to try to find another
    Hasibeder anywhere in the world (I've already tried N.Y. and L.A.
    phonebooks). For as far back as we can trace there are no other
    Hasibeder's or even distant relatives with different names or
    variations on the spelling!
    
    Cute part:  My dad once told me as a boy that the name was derived
    from Hase, meaning Hare (as in Rabbit), and Beder was Austrian dialect
    pronunciation for Peder (as in Peter)!  I still don't know if he's
    pulling my leg about the Beder part...
    
    Otto.
    

    
    
    I always thought my name was an easy one to say but, once they're
    past the first name they get stuck...:-)
    
    
    First.......Donna - Italian for "Lady" but, I was named for the
    			babysitter who was with my sisters when I was
    			born...
    
    Middle......Maydelle - A family name, pronounced  MAY(Like the month)*
    			   DELL(As in the Farmer in the...)
    
    Last........Gamester - English for "Gambler"...Pronounced Game*Stir(as
    			   in mix)  It's been pronounced as gam ES ter,
    			   GA mes ter, Gaymster...Some even think it's
    			   a made up name...
    
    
    
    	I never really had a problem with the name except being called
    "Hamster" for a while...but, I've always liked my name, which roughly
    means "Lady Gambler"...I enjoy trying to live up to it - it's the
    challenge I enjoy;-);-);-)
    
    	
    			- Donna Maydelle Gamester 	

    Donna,
    
    Actually, your name is redundant.  The "-ster" ending is feminine;
    the masculine would be "Gamer".  E.g., "spinster" and "spinner",
    "baxter" and "baker".  (You wouldn't want to spell it "bakster",
    right?)
    
    						Ann B.

    
    Legal name and signature:   Luis R. Gonzalez  (with a ' over the a)
    
    
    pronounced    (please)      Lew  eese  (as in geese)
    
    spelled out                 "thats right, E Z as in Easy Rider
                                (I used to think that es was Portuguese
                                 and ez was Spanish   -  anyone know?)
    
    Navy nickname: (one of several in my life!)
    
                                GONZO  -  which has come to have a 
                                          mistique all its own
    
    Pen-name for my music and writings
    
                                Luis Ricardo Gonzalez
    
    A name I am *very* proud of and like very much
    
    But sometimes I'm just...
    
    
    LRG   (not S or M as those who have met me will attest!)                      
    

    Helaine Vindici
    
    Helaine (HELL-AIN)
    
    Not Helene or Helena, or Helen.
    I like it better now, but it was too different when I was growing
    up.
    
    Vindici (VIN-DEE-CEE) with a soft CEE.
    
    Not VIN DEE CHEE!!
    
    My maiden name was Lieberman (LEE-BURR-MAN) of Latvian origin.
    Vindici is my X's name, obviously Italian (but not as Italian
    as some want to pronounce it).
    
    My future name later this year (is this bad luck before the wedding?)
    will be Kinsey (KIN-SEA) like the Report!!
    
    Nickname used to be SUE (have you figured that one out?)
    My middle name is Susan!!
    
    Helaine

    The last name is easy - Green - my maiden name was about as tough,
    Jones - where the mispronunciation and spelling problems ocur is
    with - Taunya.
    
    Pronounced Tawnya.  I've gotten into the habit of spelling my name
    as soon as I say it when I leave a message.
    
    I hate being called Tanya - with the long `a' sound. (and I'm going
    back to `Jones' as `Green' hasn't been a part of my life for 15
    years)

    
    	   Well, my name's easy enough... but my dog has a great
    	name... Tryppyr.  I usually pronounce it "Tripper", but
    	when I'm in a fatuous mood I trill the R's and pronouce
    	the Y's as EE's (as in Trreeppeerrrr).  She answers to
    	"Tripper," so I guess that's her real name.
    
    	- Greg

    It's an easy one....
    
    Harmon   -    Like "arm" with an "h" berfore it and "on" as
                  opposed to off.  It's people trying to spell
                  it that's usually mixed up...Harmond, Harmin,
                  Harman, Harmen, Herman...
    
    Not sure of what origin it is.  All my Grandfather ever said was
    "if you meet a Harmon and they're from Maine, you're related".
    
    P.  (as in Pat, Pattie, Patricia)
    

	 Gallup -- Looks easy, right?  So WHY does everyone get hung
		   on saying it?  Just like the town in NewMexico,
		   just like the Poll, and just like what a horse
		   does.

		   Actually, the worse thing is when I spell it for
		   someone.  I spell it, and they ALWAYS right O
		   instead of U. It never fails....do people just
		   not listen?  GGGGrrr......


	 Earlene -- My middle name...Its "Earl" just like the
		    masculine name, with the "ene" being pronounced
		    like "clean" without the "cl".  People get really
		    hung up on this one, too.....(Accent on the second
		    syllable.)

	 
	 Katherine -- Well, people just always spell this one with
		      a "C".  They can say it right, though.



	 

	 

    I'm one of the ones who automatically spell out the last name --
    Christenson.  Thousands of variations.  The hotel bill from my last
    trip had Chrispensen.  I don't know how they do it.  I also spell
    out Chelsea, even though it's perfectly obvious to *me* how it's
    spelled.  When I'm being official, I often have to spell out Karen
    (my given name).  People have come across enough variations that
    they want to be sure, I suppose.  No one ever asks for the middle
    name (Lee, which would probably fall into the same category as Karen).
    My other nickname, KC, is never written and shouldn't present a problem.

    I never realized how two syllables could confuse so many people...
    especially over the phone.  Whenever I leave a message, they ask
    for my first name and then ask for my last name.  When I tell them
    my last name, they then ask for my first and later ask for my last
    name again.  I now just spell my name in order to avoid confusing
    my customers.  I've had several people tell me that my parents must
    not have liked me to "burden" me with such a name.  At first it
    was difficult not to lash out but I've managed thus far.   I don't
    know...maybe I'm strange but I like my name.
    
    Kris
    
    
    
    

    Re .86
    
    Not necessarily true about Lee.  My husband spells his first name
    "Leigh", pronounced LEE.  That is his name on his birth certificate
    (But I won't mention the fact that you can see where "daughter"
    was whited out and "son" was typed over it).  He gets a lot of flack
    about the name, like people spelling it Lee, or pronouncing it Lay.
    He also gets mail adressed to Ms. Leigh Fahel, and he did even before
    we got married.
    
    And as for Karen (being my first name), I went through a "faze"
    where I spelled it "Caryn".  There is also Caren, Carin, Karin,
    Kerin, etc.
    
    Nothing is as simple as it seems.  ;^)
    
    K.C. (spelled Kay-period-See-period) 

    Re: .88
    
    That's what I meant about "Lee" being in the same class as "Karen."
    You spell them so people know you don't use one of the variants.

    I just got married and my husband doesn't even know how to pronounce
    his last name.
    
    He says "Boys - vert"
    
    But it is really "Bwa - Vair"
                                
    I try to pronounce it right, but it is hard when the family says
    it wrong.
    
    Tammie
    

    re .91 Tell him if he wants to anglicize it he might as well
    change it to 'Greenwoods'
    
    I meet people all the time who don't/won't pronounce French
    names properly.

    The story  is  told  of  someone asking the butler how Mr. Dubuois
    pronounced his name:



Mr Dubwa pronounces his name Duboys.

    Those of you blessed with French names (especially if you live close
    by, like in New England) need only head north to Quebec (pronounced
    KAY-bek, please!) to relieve that frustration, and at the same time
    have a marvelous vacation!
    
    Otto (born and raised in Montreal: MOE-ray-al (al as in ALbert)).

       re .94:
       
       > ...Quebec (pronounced KAY-bek, please!) 
       
       No, thanks.  I'll pronouce it keh-BEK, and I hope you will too,
       please. 
       
       A votre service avec plaisir,
       
       --Mr Topaz

    re .95
    
    Sorry Mr. Topaz.  Although residents of France may agree with your
    pronunciation, les Quebecois (KAY-bek-wha) will most heatedly disagree!
    
    Otto.

    I am one of those blessed with a French name.  When my grandfather
    came across the Canadian border, he Americanized it so he would fit in.
    Everyone butchers the spelling and most times in school they would just
    stop before trying to pronounce it and I would have to chirp up with
    the pronounciation.
    
    Poirier - Poor-eee-er
    
    I believe the right pronounciation is pwa-yay.  Correct me if I'm
    wrong French experts.  I've often thought about going back to the
    original pronounciation but I don't want to make my parents feel badly.
    Maybe I'll do it anyways - my husband always trys to pronounce it
    right anyway.
    
    
    Suzanne Carol Poirier 

    I transformed from "obviously" Jewish (name and face...) to 
    "Canuck" overnight. Sometimes I feel like I've lost my identity.
    ("Gee I didn't know Gibeau was a Jewish name...", or "Funny,
    you don't look French...")
    
    I spent 30 years as Donna Lee Rosenthal. Nothing *too* tough about
    that one... I got married in 1987 and became Donna R. Gibeau.
                                               
    In 1.5 short years, I truly believe I've heard them all:
    
    I've been called GIB'-EEE-OOOH (hard G) i (like "bit") bee 
    oooh.
    
    Then I became Ga-BOO' or Ga-BYOO'...
    
    At a restaurant one night, (left name to wait for a table), we became 
    GIB'BEE (pronounced sort-of like 'hippy'). 
    
    One night I got a call from someone selling something... she asked
    for Mrs. Gi-BLEEN' and I told her there was nobody here by that
    name. 
    
    Here's the best written representation of the proper pronounciation:
    
    zhi-BOW' (like Zhivago [very soft G] and bow tie).
    His family calls themselves GEE'-bow. I can't stand it. 
    
    My husband's family hails from Quebec... Sherbrooke, I believe.
    He's part French-Canadian, and part Canadian-Indian.
    
    His family says that anyone who spells their name Gibeault is related 
    someone down the line.
    
    The *best* attempts at pronouncing our name came in Hawaii. Someone
    mentioned Hawaiian names several replies back. If you were to take
    our name and pronounce it in Hawaiiain (even tho' there's no "G"
    in their alphabet), it would be (and was pronounced like this
    frequently all over the state...):
    
    GI-BEE-AAAH'-OOOH.               
    
    As a joke, I refer to us collectively as the Gibeaux...
                                                                   
    /drg