26 Famous People’s Names You’re Probably Mispronouncing
Updated: Dec. 18, 2023
Sorry, but you've likely been pronouncing the names of these famous celebs and historical figures incorrectly. Here, we're setting the record straight.
(In)famous mispronunciations
For lovers of wordplay, there’s something delectable about tossing a hard-to-pronounce word into casual conversation—as long as you’re confident you can say it correctly. Of course, if you’re not, it’s easy enough to swap in a synonym. But what happens when no synonym is available—like with these commonly mispronounced city names or incorrectly pronounced company names? Or worst yet: When it’s someone else’s name. There’s nothing quite so awkward as flubbing the pronunciation of a first or last name, perhaps even more so when it’s a famous one. After all, shouldn’t we already know how to pronounce the names of celebs?
There are plenty of historical figures and high-profile people with commonly mispronounced names, but we don’t always know the correct pronunciation. Sometimes we don’t even know that we don’t know! Fortunately, when it comes to these frequently mispronounced famous names, we’re spelling it out for you below.
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Princess Eugenie of York
Correct pronunciation: Princess “YOU-jenn-ee”
Princess Eugenie is one of Queen Elizabeth II’s grandchildren and (even with her royal status) has been hearing her name mispronounced all her life. So if you think of her as “you-JENN-ie” or “you-GENIE,” then not only are you in good company, but you can rest assured the princess totally gets it. As she once told The Telegraph, “I am now used to every pronunciation.”
The emphasis is on the “YOU,” but you’ll also want to focus on the final two syllables. If you want to nail Eugenie’s melodic name, remember to “use your knees.” That’s what the princess and her mum, Sarah Ferguson, used to tell people who seemed to struggle with it.
W.E.B. Du Bois
Correct pronunciation: W.E.B. “Doo-BOYZ”
Born in Massachusetts just two years after the end of the Civil War, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was one of the first Black men to graduate from Harvard as a doctor of history, with a focus on the African American slave trade. The quotable Du Bois went on to enjoy a distinguished career in academia, but he’s most famous for his role in founding and leading the NAACP in its early years and for his significant influence as a Black protest leader.
Although his name was “pronounced in the clear English fashion,” as he once put it, many insisted on pronouncing his name as the French would: “du-BWAH.” The confusion persists to this day.
Saoirse Ronan
Correct pronunciation: “SIR-shuh ROH-nan”
You might not realize it from her Gaelic name, but the actress Saoirse Ronan is American-born (from the Bronx, New York, but raised in Dublin, Ireland). It’s just that her Irish American parents named her after the Gaelic word for “freedom.” A lovely sentiment, to be sure, but the multiple consecutive vowels can be confusing to anyone unfamiliar with traditional Irish spellings and pronunciations. So, too, can the fact that the letter “s” is pronounced one way at the beginning and another way toward the end.
“Most people don’t know how to pronounce my name,” Ronan has acknowledged, with “SOAR-say” and “SHEER-shay” among the many understandable mispronunciations. In fact, she’s stated that the proper pronunciation rhymes with “inertia.”
Ralph Fiennes
Correct pronunciation: “Rafe Fines”
Oscar-nominated British actor Ralph Fiennes recognizes that he could have made it easier for his fans to pronounce his first name by changing the spelling to “Rafe” back when he made his film debut in 1991. But as the man who played both Oskar Schindler and Lord Voldemort once told The Hollywood Reporter, he wanted to honor his parents’ choice of spelling, which is actually traditional in England. And then there’s his last name, which has been mispronounced as “fee-ENS” and “Feens,” among others. In fact, the correct pronunciation rhymes with “mines” and “signs.”
Zendaya
Correct pronunciation: “Zen-DAY-ah”
While she’s a superstar today, actress Zendaya has had to clarify the pronunciation of her name in the past. She told Popstar that it’s actually “zen-DAY-ah,” not “zen-DIE-yah.” So where did her name come from? She’s named after the Shona word for “to give thanks,” with a slight twist, thanks to her dad’s love of “Z”s.
Dr. Seuss
Correct pronunciation:Â Doctor “Zoyce”
That’s Dr. Zoyce to you. Theodore Seuss Geisel began using the pen name “Dr. Seuss” back in 1927 with a cartoon published in The Saturday Evening Post. But Dr. Seuss is most famous for his children’s books, the first of which was published in 1937. Indeed, Dr. Seuss may be one of the world’s most famous authors of children’s books. Yet precious few have ever pronounced his pen name, Dr. Seuss, correctly—it rhymes with “voice.” To put it as Geisel might have: It doesn’t rhyme with a caboose, neither a goose nor a moose; although it is your choice, perhaps consider the author’s voice.
Greta Gerwig
Correct pronunciation: “GREH-ta Gher-wig”
Already well known for her work as an actress in several critically acclaimed independent films, feminist filmmaker Greta Gerwig appears to have finally hit the auteur stratosphere with the release of the summer 2023 blockbuster Barbie movie. Having directed the film to great public acclaim, Gerwig’s name is on the lips of many. But they may not realize that her first name is not pronounced “GREE-ta” (rhymes with “pita”), although it certainly looks like it could be. Rather, you’ll want to pronounce the first syllable with a soft “eh,” as if you were saying “Gretel,” but without the “L” sound at the end.
Charlize Theron
Correct pronunciation: “Shar-leez Throne”
If you should ever meet Charlize Theron in person, you might want to take a moment to savor precisely how she pronounces her own last name, because it just might be your one and only chance to hear it said correctly. While fans are busy struggling to decide whether to put the emphasis on the first syllable or the second, Theron has clarified that there is, in fact, only one syllable. And it sounds a lot like the word for the ceremonial chair on which a monarch might sit, except there’s a slight roll to the “r,” and the “th” sound de-emphasizes the “h.”
Barry Keoghan
Correct pronunciation: Barry “Kee-OH-ghen”
Since 2011, Irish-born actor Barry Keoghan has been making a name for himself in both film and television. In 2023, he was nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for his turn in The Banshees of Inisherin. Nevertheless, the correct pronunciation of his surname remains out of reach for many, who (understandably) tend to default to “KEE-ghan” or “KOH-ghan” or even “KEE-in” or “KEE-awn.”
But that’s just fine with Keoghan, who told Geek Ireland, “I find that if you have a difficult-to-pronounce name, you’re more likely to go far, especially in the U.S.”
Chiwetel Ejiofor
Correct pronunciation: “CHIH-weh-tell EDGE-ee-oh-four”
British-born Chiwetel Ejiofor is a veteran actor famous for his roles in numerous films, including the high profile Love Actually (2003) and 12 Years a Slave (2013), among others. His name comes from the Igbo language of Nigeria, and while it may strike some as intimidating to pronounce, the proper pronunciation is exactly as it is spelled in English. The reason is that Igbo is a spoken-only language. Accordingly, when Igbo words are written out, they are done so phonetically (kind of like “acai,” which is much easier to pronounce than it may seem).
Michelangelo
Correct pronunciation: “Mee-kel-AN-jeh-low”
Michelangelo (Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni) just might be the most famous artist ever to have lived. Not only did he sculpt the masterpiece Michelangelo’s David, but he also contributed to the painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Both are known the world over and counted among the most influential works of art in history. And those are just two of the artist/inventor/genius’s most celebrated contributions to modern society and culture.
Notwithstanding the man’s fame, however, his name is often mispronounced as the Americanized “Michael Angelo.” In fact, that’s how many of us were taught to say his name in school. But like his countryman Amerigo Vespucci (see below), Michelangelo was known during his lifetime only by his name as pronounced in his native Italian: “Mee-kel-AN-jeh-low.”
Kamala Harris
Correct pronunciation: “KAH-mah-lah” Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris is well aware that people have a hard time pronouncing her first name (which means “lotus flower”). In fact, she’s gone to arguably heroic measures to help us get it right. When she was running for the U.S. Senate in 2016, she made an educational video in which children were heard saying “It’s not CAM-el-uh. It’s not kuh-MAHL-uh. It’s not KARMEL-uh.” The emphasis is on the first syllable: “KAH-mah-lah.” You can also think of it like “comma-la.”
So, did that help? Apparently not for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who famously pronounced it “Kuh-MAH-lah” while swearing Harris into office in 2020. Nor, of course, for many others. But there’s still time.
Amanda Seyfried
Correct pronunciation: Amanda “Sigh-fred”
It’s not “Say-freed” or “Say-fried.” In fact, the American actress known for her roles in Mamma Mia!, Mean Girls and as Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout has struggled with teaching people to say her last name correctly. But the correct pronunciation uses “Sigh” as the first syllable.
Stephanie Hsu
Correct pronunciation: Stephanie “Shoo”
Educated at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Stephanie Hsu toiled for 10 years in the entertainment industry before being nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in the 2023 film Everything Everywhere All At Once. Since then, Hsu has become both a “breakout star” and a “critical darling,” according to NPR.
Nevertheless, the American-born actress’s surname has been a challenge to pronounce for those who aren’t readily familiar with Chinese and Taiwanese languages. Some may say “Sue,” while others say “Huh-sue,” but according to Hsu herself, the name is simply pronounced “shoe.”
Demi Moore
Correct pronunciation: “Deh-MEE” Moore
“Demi” means “half,” as Demi Moore told Jimmy Fallon during an appearance on The Tonight Show. Yet Moore doesn’t pronounce her name like the word that means “half,” which places the emphasis on the first syllable. Rather, she pronounces it with the emphasis on the second.
As Moore explained to Fallon, the reason is that Moore’s mother first saw the word “demi” on a cosmetics package. She was instantly smitten, so despite not knowing what the word meant (or how it was pronounced), she decided that would be the name of her soon-to-be-born baby. Then she extended it to “Demetria,” which, likewise, places the emphasis on the “MEE” sound in the middle.
Chrissy Teigen
Correct pronunciation: Chrissy “TYE-ghen”
During an interview on Live with Kelly and Ryan back in 2018, Kelly Ripa asked model and television personality Chrissy Teigen to settle the question once and for all: Is her surname pronounced “TEE-ghen”? Or “TYE-ghen”? With a heavy sigh, Teigen confirmed it’s the latter.
But if you’ve been pronouncing it wrong, it may not be your fault. In fact, you may have only Teigen herself to blame. Although she obviously knows how her own name should be pronounced, Teigen confessed that at some point more than a decade ago, she not only gave up on correcting people who pronounced it “TEE-ghen,” but she went so far as to reluctantly adopt that pronunciation herself!
Prince Louis of Wales
Correct pronunciation: Prince “Lew-wee”
His Royal Highness Prince Louis was born in 2018 as the third child (and second son) of the Prince and Princess of Wales—Prince William and Kate Middleton. He is named in honor of Lord Louis Mountbatten, the beloved uncle and mentor of the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (the husband of the late Queen Elizabeth II). Louis is also a middle name of Prince William and Prince George. Although the name looks like it might be pronounced “Lew-iss,” the royal family pronounces it similar to the name Louise, albeit without the final “S” sound.
Pete Buttigieg
Correct pronunciation: Pete “BOO-duh-judge”
By the time Pete Buttigieg threw his hat into the ring to run for the U.S. presidency in 2020, he’d already made a name for himself as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. But few knew how to pronounce his name, which happens to be Maltese in origin. The fact that he tended to refer to himself as “Mayor Pete” didn’t help to clarify things either.
Although Buttigieg now has a high-profile position in the federal government, serving as Secretary of Transportation, there’s still a lot of confusion over how his surname is pronounced. According to some of his supporters, however, thinking of it as “Boot Edge Edge” can be helpful.
Matthew McConaughey
Correct pronunciation: Matthew “Mick-KAH-nuh-hay”
The name “McConaughey” can seem like a mouthful—that is, until you hear it pronounced by Matthew himself. That’s when you realize there’s no “macaw” to be found in the proud Texan’s surname, although it’s certainly not unreasonable to have assumed there is. Nor does the “Con” you see in there rhyme with “don” or “dawn.” Likewise, although there’s an “augh,” it does not rhyme with “laugh.”
The only part that reads phonetically, in fact, is the “hey” at the end.
Shirley Chisholm
Correct pronunciation: Shirley “Chizz-em”
A female trailblazer in politics, Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005) was the first Black female elected to the U.S. Congress. Although that, alone, is enough to make this groundbreaking woman extraordinarily noteworthy, it’s not really what she wanted to be remembered for. Rather, she preferred to be known as someone who “had guts.” But however you view Shirley Chisholm, one of the simplest ways to honor her is to pronounce her surname correctly. And the correct pronunciation keeps the “L” silent, despite the inclination of many.
Amerigo Vespucci
Correct pronunciation: “Ah-meh-REE-goh Vez-POO-chee”
Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci (whose name the term “America” is derived from) made his voyages to the “new world” a few years after Christopher Columbus. He’s the one who got the name-check though, primarily because the first map depicting the Americas was drawn using Vespucci’s notes and drawings.
But there is one wrinkle, which is that the Italian pronunciation of “Amerigo” puts the emphasis on the third syllable. So the explorer that most of us think of as “Ah-MEHR-ih-goh” Vespucci was actually known during his life as “Ah-meh-REE-goh.”
Sophie Rhys-Jones, Duchess of Edinburgh
Correct pronunciation: Sophie “Reese-Jones,” Duchess of “Ed-in-bur-rah”
When Sophie Rhys-Jones married Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex (the youngest sibling of King Charles III) in 1999, she became the Countess of Wessex. That may have been a relief to those who find “Wessex” easier to pronounce than “Rhys-Jones,” which may look like it’s pronounced “Rice-Jones” or “Riss-Jones” but actually rhymes with “geese bones.”
Complicating matters since 2023, however, the Wessexes have been styled as Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh. Although it may be tempting to pronounce the final syllable to rhyme with “iceberg,” the correct pronunciation is the Scottish “BURR-ah” (like the word “Burroughs,” but with an “ah” at the end).
Mao Tse-tung
Correct pronunciation: “Mow Tse-DONG”
Mao Tse-tung (1893–1976), known also as “Chairman Mao,” was the leader of the Chinese Communist Party from 1936 until his death. He was also the leader of the People’s Republic of China between 1949 and 1959. Although “Mao Tse-tung” wasn’t actually his name in the Chinese language (which uses a different set of letters), the spelling was an attempt to help Westerners with the pronunciation. A reasonably close approximation, it nevertheless only helped so much, with mispronunciations ranging from “Mayo See-Tung” to “Mayo Tee-Sung” and beyond. A more modern spelling, “Mao Zedong,” may be helpful in guiding Westerners in their pronunciation.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Correct pronunciation: “Tick Not-HAHN”
Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022) was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, author and peace activist. Exiled in 1966 for openly expressing his opposition to the Vietnam War, he relocated to France, where he founded Plum Village, an influential Buddhist monastery. Despite how influential he was and how widely read his writings are to this day, his name continues to challenge Westerners, who pronounce it in all manner of incorrect ways, including “Thick Nahat Hahn,” “Thitch Notanh” and even “Thick Not Thin.”
Chuck Palahniuk
Correct pronunciation: Chuck “PAH-la-nik”
Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk can’t identify the precise origins of his surname, but he does have it narrowed down to somewhere in Eastern Europe, most likely Ukraine or Poland. He also knows how he and his family have always pronounced it. And no, it’s not “Pa-LAW-nee-ack” or “POL-lee-nyuck.”
Rather, the correct pronunciation is just three syllables, emphasis on the first: “PAH-la-nik.” In fact, if his father had had his way, the spelling would have been “Palanik,” which is the name he used when enlisting in the U.S. Navy. Apparently, however, the U.S. Navy had its own ideas about such things and made his father change it back to the original (harder to pronounce) spelling
Albert Pujols
Correct pronunciation: Albert “Poo-holes”
Known as one of Major League Baseball’s most talented hitters, the now-retired first baseman Albert Pujols played in the league for 22 seasons, including for the St. Louis Cardinals, the Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers. In other words, people in stadiums across the nation heard his name each time he got up to bat. Yet the Dominican Republic–born player’s surname continues to confound many.
If pronounced phonetically in English, it might come through as “puh-jahls” or “puh-johls.” But being Spanish in origin, the “u” is hard, and the “j” is pronounced like an “h.” Hence: “poo-holes.”
Sources:
- The Telegraph: “Princess Eugenie: Little Princess Sunshine”
- The Independent: “Everything you need to know about Sophie, the new Duchess of Edinburgh”
- YouTube: AP Archive, “UK: Prince Edward & Sophie Rhys-Jones Engagement”
- Chronicle 5 WCVB: “How do you pronounce ‘Dr. Seuss’?”
- YouTube: “Greta Gerwig says Greta Gerwig”
- YouTube: Popsugar, “Saoirse Ronan Tries to Pronounce Difficult Celeb Names”
- Geek Ireland: “Barry Keoghan Clarifies How to Pronounce His Surname”
- Instagram: Matthew McConaughey
- Virgin Radio UK: “Ralph Fiennes says it’s officially ‘too late’ to correct people’s pronunciation of his name”
- Facebook: “The One Show: Charlize Theron”
- YouTube: Live With Kelly and Mark, “Chrissy Teigen Explains How Her Name is Really Pronounced”
- ET Online: “Demi Moore is back!”
- CNN: “A bipartisan Buttigieg effect? The people of this gorgeous island country say yes”
- Library of Congress: “How Did America Get Its Name?”
- CNN: “It’s ‘comma-la’: How to pronounce Kamala Harris’ name”
- Hollywood Streams: “Amanda Seyfried Exclusive: My Name’s Not ‘Siegfried'”
- History.com: “Michelangelo”
- Biography.com: “Mao Tse-tung”
- NPR: “Remembering Thich Nhat Hanh, peace activist and Vietnamese Buddhist monk”
- University of California Press: “What’s in a Name? W. E. B. Du Bois vs. W.E.B. DeBois”
- Chuck Palahniuk: “Backstory: (How to) Say My Name”
Originally Published: December 26, 2023
