Old Uncle Crow

compiled by Old Uncle Crow

THE Whole topic of oddball names and weird pronunciations of them is a big area of study especially in England.  The classic is Featherstonehough — and pronounced “Fenshaw!”
     And below, well, here are a whole lot more!
<http://www.genealogymagazine.com/surnames2.html>

16 June 2007 

FIRST NAME
 
LAST NAME
 
Talliaferro is Tolliver:
Surnames Sound a Challenge
for Researchers

By James Pylant and Gary R. Toms

COPYRIGHT © 1998, 2006 — ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
DO NOT POST OR PUBLISH WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION

Reprinted from American Genealogy Magazine, Vol. 13, Nos. 1 & 2

Revised 9 April 2006

Names are at the heart of genealogical research. Most family historians are well aware that surname variants are not to be overlooked in research. Some routine changes in spelling can be anticipated and are easily recognized as variations of the surname of interest. Examples would be Layfollet or Lafarlett for LaFollett.

A slightly different situation occurs when an older spelling is retained, but the pronunciation changes. This produces the challenge of surnames for which the spelling does not match the pronunciation. This can mislead a researcher, or even seriously impact on the success of those who do not take it into account. One family genealogist, after failing to find her ancestors, questioned family members again and learned that the surname she was searching is spelled Burrow, not Burr, as it’s pronounced by her Southern kinfolks. Surnames in this category are the focus of this article.

Two circumstances, in particular can produce situations which may be confusing or which can stymie the researcher. Retaining an original spelling and its “foreign” sounding pronunciation was difficult for most immigrants. To Americanize a surname, one of two things might happen. The pronunciation might be changed to match the spelling, or the reverse might be true. An entirely new spelling was sometimes adopted to keep from losing the preferred pronunciation. In some instances, both spelling and pronunciation were Americanized.

Thomas W. Jones’ success tracing an elusive ancestor came after learning the surname Overton was originally Howerton. “Cultural or ethnic variations in the sounds of certain letters also result in substitutions that modern genealogists simply do not expect . . . .,” Jones stated.  Similarly, an Oskisson genealogist now suspects that her family’s name was originally spelled Hoskinson.

The situations which lead to surnames with spelling quite varied from the pronunciation can generally be attributed to one or two occurrences:

When people moved from one area to another, the sound of their surname may have been retained while the spelling changed to reflect the language of the new residence. These situations are relatively easy to determine, and most researchers can easily deal with this by being alert to spelling variations.

In a reverse situation, the sound may change, perhaps even dramatically, while the original spelling from the language of origin is retained. Two outstanding examples of this are Mainwaring, as man-nering, and Mieriotto, pronounced mur-oh-tee.

This article focuses on surnames from both occurences, names for which the pronunciations and the spelling do not quite match. “Particularly in a literate age, you can get quite a bit of gap between spelling and pronunciation [of surnames],” according to Paul Roberts, a former professor at the University of Leeds, England, now engaged in research of the origins of certain surnames found in the Appalachian Mountain region. He uses Beauchamp as an example, pointing out that despite the spelling it is pronounced beech-um.

The situation often comes full circle, when a spelling develops to reflect the actual sound of the name, leaving the original spelling behind. This is what occurs when a name like Talliferro/Taliaferro, pronounced tah-li-ver, changes to Toliver or Tolliver. A researcher may first encounter the name under such a spelling, which clearly reflects its pronunciation. That researcher may be unprepared for the original spelling when it is encountered later.

For the unwary researcher, not considering the possibility that a name may have a spelling distinctly different from its sound can be harmful. It can result in stonewalls when the surname is not found in an expected record source. The name may actually be there, but in a way that the researcher does not recognize. In a worst case scenario, the researcher might flounder for months or even years before being able to bridge the gap between the newer, phonetic spelling, and the original spelling in another locality. Another problem occurs when the name is followed to another locality where it occurs interchangeably under the modified (familiar) spelling and the original spelling—as well as variations of both, of course.

The researcher may never feel confident that all records have been found. Worse yet, he or she may miss an entire segment if unaware of the original spelling.

This is especially likely to be the case when the researcher begins with a changed spelling closely reflecting the sound of the name, and tries to follow it back to a locality where the original spelling dominated. Consider, however, researching Tolliver in East Tennessee, in a family whose spelling had changed to conform to pronunciation. The unprepared researcher might lose the family when the records in a Virginia locality only show it as the original Talliferro.

Certain languages, with spelling rules very different from English, can provide sounds close to that language. German names are especially prone to this. Behle sounds like Bailey; Gehl is pronounced gale, and how about Leimkuhler? It is pronounced lime-cooler. Other examples are of French origin, such as the surname Allier, which has variations in both pronunciation and spelling. While retaining the original spelling, it may be pronounced as the Anglicized all-yer. Others vary the pronunciation to al-leer. Still others with that surname chose to change the spelling to resemble the original French pronunciation, hence the variant Allyea.

In the United States, the French Du Bois, while retaining its old spelling, has dropped du bwa in favor of an Americanized sound. A verse in a clever poem written for the DuBois Family Association reminds us of the New World pronunciation:

‘Tis no longer du Bwa as so many suppose
And it is not Du Boys, and of course not Du Boze
Du Boy is not right, nor is Du’Bois correct,
For the accent is not where some people suspect
Please read this out loud so the sound of your voice
By this rhythm records that our name is Du Bois

In some instances, even with names which appear to be of English origin, the sound and the spelling can take divergent paths.

This can easily happen when an old pronunciation continues while the spelling evolves. Toms, generally pronounced tahmz and related spelling of Tomes, are pronounced in some localities as toemz or toomz, which are disctinctly different. The latter pronunciation is what one would expect from Toomes, or Tombs, but not Toms.

The situation really becomes perilous when the research leads to a locality where the name has its original spelling, and another surname occurs in the records which appears to match the sound of the name, but actually is pronounced differently.  If a researcher focused on Bales ancestry delves into the records of certain east Tennessee counties, the surname Bayles appears to be a match. It is not, however. In that area, it is pronounced bay-less and is sometimes found with that spelling, as well. In contrast, Beals is pronounced bales in that area, even though the spelling may suggest beels.

The researcher must also be alert to the fact that some of these pronunciations are local variations. The same surname, with the identical spelling, may have a more common pronunciation in Middle or West Tennessee and points south from there; Jordan as jurr-den and Toms as toomz are good examples of this. Each of these pronunciations is unique to a certain area, and probably the areas to which families moved from there. Jurr-den, for example, is the pronunciation in Middle and West Tennessee and points south from there; Jordan is pronounced jor-dun in most other areas.

Pop culture also has influenced surname pronunciations. Lachey might sound like latchy, laychee or lackee, but the popularity of singer Nick Lachey brings attention to the pronunciation luh SHAY. In the last century, many Americans with the Irish last name of Costello came to be called cos-TELLO, instead of COS-tel-low. The emphasis on the prefix rather than the suffix is likely an influence from Lou Costello. The famous comedian, though, had changed his name from Cristillo. (Similarly, the late mobster Frank Costello was not Irish, but an Italian born as Francesco Castiglia.)

It is our purpose in this article to challenge your thinking, to give you different ways of looking at surnames involved in your research, beyond the simple variations imposed by the spelling tendencies of various clerks. Such a mode of thinking may help you avoid some pitfalls when dealing with this type of surname situation.

To assist you in this process, we have prepared a list of such names to accompany this article. For maximum benefit, you may wish to read aloud the phonetic pronunciations provided in the list. This same technique can be helpful when you encounter an unfamiliar surname: say it aloud, several times, changing the accented syllable or the vowel sounds. Listen for the sound of a name which is familiar to you. That may suggest an alternative spelling to include in your research. We encourage readers to study this list, and think carefully about the spelling, and pronunciation of the surnames involved in their research.

NOTES AND REFERENCES
Thomas W. Jones, “Howerton to Overton: Documenting a Name Change,” National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 78 (Sept. 1990), No. 3, p. 171.
Paul Roberts to Gary R. Toms, 1 October 1997.

Written by Floyd Reading DuBois (1878-1952), the poem appears on the DuBois Family Association’s website. Excerpted with permission of Terry DuBois, webmaster.
 
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FIRST NAME
 
LAST NAME
 
 
  
——————————————————————————–

How Do You Pronounce That Name?
(Continued from Surnames Sound a Challenge)

Compiled by Gary R. Toms and James Pylant
© 1998, 2006

The list of examples which follows will help the researcher become familiar with the type of surnames discussed in this article. This is by no means a complete list. Many readers will be aware of others which fit the criteria described. We encourage you to share those. If enough are received to warrant it, a supplemental list may be posted here.

PLEASE NOTE: These examples have been collected by the authors over a period of 37 years, and reflect many different situations. Especially be aware that some pronunciations are localized, and the surname occurs under a more common pronunciation elsewhere.

(Accented syllable is italicized.)

Allier = all yer or al leer

Althorpe = al thrup

Ansderau = an drews

Askey = harrisky

Athey = ath uh

Bacot = buh coat

Bakerstere = bax ter

Baldwin = boll den or ball den

Balfour = bal fer

Barbee = bob bee

Barham = barm

Barfield = bare field

Battaglia = buh tal yuh

Baughman bow man

Bayles = bay luss

Beall = bell

Beals = bales

Beaucattie = byoo kay dee

Beauchamp = beech um

Beaufoy = boffy

Behle = bay lee

Behrens, Behrends = bear enz

Berkeley = bark lee

Blount = blunt

Bodde = bow dee

Boehner = bay ner

Boemer = bay mer

Bohm = baum

Bouchier = boxer

Boutiette = boo tee yay

Bownds = bounds

Brasseur = brassy

Buras = boo ross

Burrell = burl

Burrow = burr

Cahusac = kuh zack

Caughman = cawf mun

Caughron = cock run

Chapelle = supple

Chapuis = sho pee

Chicheley = chess lee

Childress = child erz

Cholomondley = chumley

Cockburn = co burn

Colbaugh = cal bow

Colquhoun = ca hoon

Coquerel = cock ril

Cordes = codes

Costello = cost uh low

Cowe = coe

Cowper = coop er

Coylton = cull tun

Creamer = cray mer

Crough = crow

Crowe = crauw

Crowfoot = craw ferd

Cruwys = crews

Cukjati = shuh ka tee

Cusenbary = koosh en bree, koozen berry

Dalziel = deal or dee ell

Darlingscot = darscot

Death = deeth

De Leow = dill oh

De Ville = da veel

De Vore = dee voe

DeLoach = dill oh

Dier = deer (not dyer)

Dieudonne = dud ney

Donen = dah nen

Donne = dunn

Dubois = doo b’wah, doo boyce

Duchamp = doo shawn

Dupuis = du pee

Eames = aimz

Eleazer = el ee ay zuh

Eliason = E lee uh son

Eyre = air

Farve = fav er

Faucher = foo shay

Featherstonehaugh = Fan shaw

Fiennes = fines

Fjoser = fee oh ser

Fohn = fone

Fooshee = foo shay

Frieh = free

Fullwood = fullard

Gehl = gale

Geiger = gee guh

Gein = geen

Giesenschlag = geezin slaw

Gilbreath = gil breth

Girardeau = jerry doe

Girlington = gill en tine

Gotham = goat um

Gochener = go nower

Goupe = guppy

Grandtully = grant lee

Grosvenor = grove ner

Guyn = gwin

Hatfield = hatfull

Hebert = a bear

Hechter = hesh tay

Hoar = harr

Hockenhull = hock nell

Hoeffer = hay fuh

Hoescht = herkst

Hogg = hoag

Horger = her guh

Hough = huff or hoe

Housley = ow slee

Huger = you jee

Hulme = hewm

Iahn = yahn

Jacques = jakes

Jaeckle = Yack-lee or Yeck-lee

Jameson = jim er son

Jahnz = Jants

Jeffries = jeff ress

Jordan = jur dunn

Jung/Jongh = yung

Keats = kates

Keitt = kit

Kerr = carr

Kinard = ky nud

Knoepker = kuh nep ker

Koch = cox

Koenig = king

Kolb = culp

Kuch = cook

Kuykendall = kirk en dahl

Lachey = Luh chay

Lassiter = last er

Le Cog = lay cock

LeFavre = luh fave

Lefever = luh fave

Lehne = laney

Lidia = lie dee

Leicester = Lester

Lied = leed

Livesay = le va see

Logiudici = luh jah dus

Loizeaux = lu wah zo

Luckhoo = luh koo

Luenstein = liv ing stone

Lutyens = luh chens

Lyster = lester

Machen = macken

Mainwaring = man er ing

Mantooth = mon teeth

Marquis = mark wiss

Matous = may tosh, mattice

Maurice = morris

Maury = murr ee

Mayberry = may bree

McGill = mackle

McGough = muh gew

McGrath = Mc graw

McKey = mac kee

McLeroy = mack ul roy, muck ul roy

McLin = mack lun

Meador = medd uhs

Melancon = Mel lawn sawn

Meetze = mets

Meierotto = murr oh tee

Menzies = ming iss

Merrill = murl

Moberley = mob lee

Murchison = murk e son

Murdaugh = murder

Neuffer = ny fuh

Osbourne = oars man

Ouzts = oots

Partain = parr tun

Peil = pale

Peirce = purse

Pelletier = pelter

Peulen = pauline

Peyre = peh uh

Pieniadz = penny ants

Poaches = po shay

Plowden = plew dawn

Porcher = puh shay

Pylant = pe lawnt, paw lunt

Radford = red furrd

Ralph = rafe

Randolph = ran duff, ran dal

Reagan =ree gunn

Riedel = rey dell

Rives = reeves

Robertaille = robe it tie

Rubarth = roo bert

Salisbury = solls bree

Schachte = shack uh tee

Scheuch = shoyshh

Schlumberger = schlum ber zhay

Shore = shaw

Shough = shuff

Speight = spate

Speissegger = spize ay juh

St. Clair = sink lur

St. John = sin jun

St. Paul = sem pul

Taliaferro = tal liv er

Tarpley = taplee

Tatham = tate um

Teuscher = toy sher

Tignor = tick ner

Toms = toamz, toomz

Towle = tole

Tuomey = too mee

Tuthill = tuttle

Urquhart = ur cut

Ussery = ush uh ree

Van Dien = van dean

Van Slaigh = van sly

Van Kleeck = van clake

Walling = wald in

Waters = waiters

Whitworth = whitter

Wilde = vil duh, will dee

Worcester = woost er

Yedon = yay den

Reprinted and revised from “Taliaferro is Tolliver: Surnames Sound A Challenge,” American Genealogy Magazine, Vol. 13, Nos. 1 & 2.
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<http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sooty/pronoun.html>

  Family Finder:    
 
PRONUNCIATION OF SURNAMES
from the book
ENQUIRE WITHIN UPON EVERYTHING
119TH EDITION (March 1939)

ABERGAVENNY  Aberge’nny 

AYSCOUGH  As’kew 
BARTELOT  Bart’lett 
BEAUCHAMP  Beech’em 
BEAUCLERC  Bo’clair 
BEAULIEU  Bew’ly 
BEGEHOT  Bag’got 
BELLINGHAM  Bellinjam 
BELVOIR  Beaver 
BETHUNE  Beeton 
BICESTER  Bister 
BOISRAGON  Bar’ragon 
BOLEYN  Bullen 
BOUCHER  Bow’cher 
BOURCHIER  Bow’cher 
BOURKE  Burk 
CALDERON  Caldron 
CHANDOS  Shandos 
CHARTERIS  Charters 
CHEYNE  Cheen, Chain or Chee’ne 
CHISHOLM  Chizum 
CHIVAS  Shee’vus 
CHIVES  Shee’vus 
CHOLMONDELEY  Chum’ley 
CIRENCESTER  Sis’ister 
CLAVERHOUSE  Clavers 
COCHRANE  Coch’ran (”ch” guttural) 
COCKBURN  Co’burn 
COGHLAN  Co’lon 
COLQUHOUN  Co’hoon 
COWPER  Cooper 
DALZIEL  Dee-ell 
DILLWYN  Dillon 
DONOGHUE  Dun-no-hew 
DROGHEDA  Dro-heda 
DUMARESQ  Doomer’rick 
DYMOKE  Dum’muk 
DYNEVOR  Din’nevor 
ELGIN  El’gin (”g” hard) 
ENRAGHT  En’rowt 
EYRE  Air 
FALCONER  Fawkner 
FARQUHAR  Far’har 
FIENNES  Fynes (”I” syllable) 
FILDES  Filds (rhymes with wilds) 
FOLJAMBE  Fool’jum 
FORTESCUE  For’teskew 
FOULIS  Fowls 
FURNEAUX  Fur’no 
GAHAGAN  Gay’gan 
GALLAGHER  Gal’laher 
GEOFFREY  Jefrey 
GEOGHEGAN  Gay’gan 
GLAMIS  Glahms (”i” syllable) 
GOUGH  Goff 
GOWER  Gore 
GRAEME  Grame 
GRAHAM  Grame 
GREIG  Greg 
GRIERSON  Greerson 
GROSVENOR  Gro’venor 
HALKETT  Hak’et 
HAWARDEN  Har’den 
HEPBURN  Heb’burn 
HOEY  Hoy 
HOME  Home or Hume 
IVEAGH  Ivah 
IVERACH  Eeverach (”ch” guttural) 
IVES  Ivs (”i” syllable) 
KEILLER  Keel’or 
KEILOR  Keel’or 
KER  Kar or Ker 
KIRKBY  Kir’by 
KNOLLYS  Noles 
KNOWLES  Noles 
LEVESON-GOWER  Looson-Gore 
LYGON  Liggon 
MACLEAN  Mac-la’ne 
MACLEAY  Mac-lay’ 
MACLEOD  Mac-loud’ 
MACMAHON  Mac-mahn 
MARJORIBANKS  March’banks or Marsh’banks 
MATURIN  Match’urin 
MAUGHAM  Mawm 
MAUGHAN  Mawn 
MCLEOD  Mac-loud’ 
MEARNS  Merns or Mairns 
MEIKLEJOHN  Mik’-el-john 
MELHUISH  Mel’-wish 
MENZIES  Meng’is 
METHVEN  Meffen 
MEUX  Mews 
MEYRICK  Merrick 
MONRO  Munro’ 
MOWAT  Mow’at (’ow” as in cow) or Mo-at 
MYERSCOUGH  Maskew 
POLE-CAREW  Pool-Cary 
POWELL  Po-el or Pow’el 
POWIS  Pow’is or Po-is 
POWYS  Pow’is or Po-is 
PRIDEAUX  Prid’o or Pree-do 
PUGH  Pew 
PYTCHLEY  Pite-chley 
REAY  Ray 
REES  Reece 
RHYS  Reece 
ROWTON  Row’ton (”ow” as in cow) 
RUTHVEN  Riven or Ruffen 
SCRIMGEOUR  Scrim-jer 
SHIVES  Shee’vus 
SKRINE  Screen 
ST. JOHN  Sin-jun 
STRACHAN  Strawn or Stra-han 
SUTER  Sooter 
THYNNE  Thin 
TREDEGAR  Tread-’eager 
TRYWHITT  Territ 
URQUHART  Ur-hart (”quh” guttural) 
WAUCHOPE  Walk-up 
WEMYSS  Weems 
WOLSELEY  Wools’-ly 
WRIOTHESLEY  Roxly 
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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_names_in_English_with_non-intuitive_pronunciations>

Your continued donations keep Wikipedia running! List of names in English with non-intuitive pronunciations
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This is a list of personal and place names that are pronounced in a way not easily deducible from the spelling or in a way at

variance with a better known name of the same spelling.

See International Phonetic Alphabet for English and IPA chart for English for guides to the IPA symbols used.

Contents Top · 0–9 · A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

[edit] A
Duke of Abercorn — /’æv??k??n/
Abiquiu, New Mexico — /’æb?kju/
Ahoghill, County Antrim, Northern Ireland — /a’h?h?l?/ or /a’h?x?l?/
Aigburth — /’?gb??/ (similar to eggbirth)
Aille, County Mayo — /al/
Alcester — /’?lst?/, /’??lst?/
Aldeburgh — /’??lb??/
Alnwick — /’æn?k/
Althorp — /’??lt??p/
Altrincham — /’?lt????m/, /’??lt????m/
Arab, Alabama — /’e??æb/
Arkansas — /’??k?n?s?/. Compare Kansas. However, the Arkansas River is pronounced differently in the two states.
Arriba, Colorado — /’???b?/
Assman (as in Dick Assman) — /’?sm?n/
Athens, Kentucky, Athens, Illinois and New Athens, Illinois — /’e?.?n?z/
Au Sable River in New York’s Adirondacks — /’a? ’se?b?l/
Avoch, Scotland — /?x/
Ayscough (e.g. Newton’s mother Hannah Ayscough) — /?’skju?/

[edit] B
Bahama, North Carolina – /b?’heim?/
Barugh Barnsley, UK — /b??k/
Baie d’Espoir — /bei d?s’p??/, French for “Bay of Hope”, ironically pronounced “Bay Despair”
Barnstaple, Devon — /’b?:nst?bl/
Earl Beauchamp — /’bi:t??m/
Beauchief, Sheffield — /’bi:t?if/
Beaufort, South Carolina — /’bju?.f?t/ vs. /’bo?.f?t/ of Beaufort, North Carolina
Beaulieu, Hampshire — /’bju:li:/
Belen, New Mexico – /b?’l?n/
Bellefontaine, Ohio — /b?l’fa?n.t?n/
Bellingham, Northumberland – /’b?l?nd??m/
Vale of Belvoir — /ve?l ?v ‘bi?v?/ or /’bi?v?/
Benld, Illinois — /b?’n?ld/
Bergen, New York — /’b?d??n/
Berkeley (English towns & surname) — /’b?:kli/. Towns and surnames in the US /’b?kli/.
Berlin, Connecticut, New Berlin, Illinois, Berlin, New Hampshire, and Berlin, Ohio — /’b?l?n/ (stress on first syllable)

listen (help·info)
Bernalillo, New Mexico (county and town) — /b?n?lijo?/
Bexar, Texas — /’be??/ or /’b??/
Bicester — /’b?st?/
Billerica, Massachusetts — /’b?l’??k?/
Billericay — /b?l?’??ki/
Blackley, Manchester — /’ble?kl?/
Bohun — /’bu:n/
Bois D’Arc, Missouri — /’bo?d??k/
Boise, Idaho — /’b??.si/ (this is the standard local pronunciation, but most Americans, especially those far removed from

Idaho, pronounce it /’b??.zi/)
Boise City, Oklahoma — The “Boise” in this place name is locally pronounced /b??s/[1], which is different from either

pronunciation of the name of the Idaho city. The “s” sound generally merges with the same sound in “City.”
Bolivar, Tennessee — named for Simón Bolívar but pronounced /’bal.?.?v?/
Bosham, West Sussex — /’b?s?m/
Bossier City, Louisiana — /’bo??? ’s?ti/
Boyounagh, County Galway — /’bwi?n?x/
Bozeat, Northamptonshire — /’b????t/
Breaghwy (County Mayo and County Sligo) — /’b?e?fi?/
Bradley, West Midlands — /’b?e?dli/
Brisbane, Australia — /’b??z.b?n/
Buccleuch — /b?’klu?/
Buena Vista, Virginia & Buena Vista, Colorado — /?bjun?’v?st?/
Burgh, Cumbria — /’b??f/
Butte, Montana — /’bjut/

[edit] C
Cahir, South Tipperary, Republic of Ireland — /’ke??/
Cairo, Illinois and Cairo, Ohio — /’ke??o?/ listen (help·info)
Caius (as in Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge) — /ki?z/
Calais, Maine and Calais, Vermont — /’kæl?s/ listen (help·info) (The town of Calais in France was formerly also pronounced

/’kæl?s/ in English; today /kæle?/, with initial stress in British English and final stress in American English, is the

normal pronunciation.)
Caldmore, England — /’k??m?/
Callington, Cornwall — /’kæli?t?n/
Cambois, Northumberland — /’kæm?s/
Cambridge, England and Cambridge, Massachusetts — /’ke?mb??d?/. Note that the River Cam and Cambridge, Gloucestershire are

pronounced as expected.
Canterbury, Kent — /’kænt?b?i?/
Canyon de Chelly, Arizona — Chelly pronounced /?e?/
Thomas Carew, poet — /’t?m?s ‘k??i?/
Cherryville, North Carolina — /’t??v?l/ or /’t??vil/
Cherwell, river in England — /’t????w?l/
Cheviot Hills, England — /’t?i?vi??t/
Chicago — /??.’k??.go?/ or /??.’k??.go?/
Chickasha, Oklahoma — /’t??k???e?/
Chili, New York — /’t?a?la?/ though indeed named after the country Chili/Chile[2]
Chiswick — /’t??z?k/
Cholmondeley — /’t??mli/
Cirencester — now usually spelling pronunciation /’sa?r?n?s?st?(r)/, but formerly and occasionally still pronounced

/’s?s?t?(?)/
Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire — /’kl?b??i ‘mo?t?m?/
Cliveden — /’kl?vd?n/
Cloghore, County Donegal — /kla?’ho??/
Clones, County Monaghan — /’kl??n?s/
Cockburn — /’ko?b?n/
Cogenhoe, Northamptonshire — /’k?kn??/
Colquhoun — /k?’hu?n/
Conneaut, Ohio (also Conneautville, Pennsylvania) — /’k?ni?t/
Conetoe, North Carolina — /k?’nit?/
Connecticut — /k?’n?t?k?t/
Cosham, Hampshire — /’k?s?m/
Costessey, Norfolk — /’k?si/
Cowpen, Northumberland — /’ku:p?n/
Crichton — /’k?a?tn?/
Culross — /’ku??os/
Cultra, County Down, Northern Ireland — /k?l’t??:/
Culzean Castle, Scotland — k?’le?n/

[edit] D
Dalyell and Dalziel (as in the UK television series Dalziel and Pascoe) — /di’?l/
Davies – like “Davis”
Delhi, New York — /’d?lha?/
Derby, England — /’da:bi/
Des Moines, Iowa — /d?’m??n/
Des Plaines, Illinois — /d?z’ple?nz/ for contrast
Mount Desert Island, Maine— /d?’z?t/ to add to the confusing pronunciation of desert and dessert
John Donne, poet — /d??n d?n/
DuBois, Pennsylvania – /dubojz/ or /dubojz/ vs. French /dybwa/

[edit] E
Edinburgh, Scotland — /’?dn?b(?)??/
El Dorado, Arkansas, El Dorado, Kansas and Eldorado, Illinois — /?ld?’?e?do?/ listen (help·info)
Elsecar, South Yorkshire — /?ls?’k?:/
Ely — /’i?li/
Embarras (or Embarrass) River in Illinois — /’æmb??/
Erith, London — /’i????/
Esher, Surrey — /’i???/
Etobicoke, Ontario — /?’to?b??ko?/

[edit] F
Faneuil Hall, Boston, Massachusetts — /’fæn.??/
Brett Favre, American quarterback — /f??v/
Featherstonehaugh — /’fæn???/, /’f?st?nh??/, /’fi?sn?he?/, /’f??st?nh??/, or intuitively as /’f?ð?st?nh??/ *
Fowey, Cornwall — /’f??/
Frome, Somerset — /f?u?m/

[edit] G
Galveston, Indiana — /gæl’v?stn?/ vs /’gælv?st?n/ for Galveston, Texas
Gateacre, Liverpool — /’gætæk?/
Gaultois, Newfoundland and Labrador — /’g?:lt?s/
Geoffrey — /’d??f?i/
Geogehan, Geoghegan (Irish surname) — /’ge?g?n/
Gillingham, Medway (Kent) — /’d??l???m/ vs. Gillingham, Dorset — /’g?l???m/
Glenzier, Scotland — /gl???r/
Gloucester (English city and Massachusetts city), both /’gl?st?/, /’gl?st?/.
Gotham, Nottinghamshire — /’go?t?m/
Greenwich, Connecticut and Greenwich Village in New York City — /’g??n?t?/
Greenwich, Greater London — /’g??n?t?/ or /’g??n?t?/
Greig (Scottish/English surname or forename) — /’g??g/
Grosvenor — /’g???v?n?/
Gruene, Texas — /’g?i:n/
Guildford, Surrey — /’g?lf?(?)d/
Guisborough — /’gi?zb??/

[edit] H
Happisburgh, Norfolk — /’he?zb(?)??/
Earl of Harewood — /’h??w?d/
Haverhill, Massachusetts — /’he?v(?)??l/
Havre de Grace, Maryland — /hæv?r d? grejs/
Hawarden, Flintshire — /’h??(?)d?n/
Hawick — /’h?jk/ or /’h?:?k/
Hereford, England — /’her?f?d/
Hertford, England — /’h???f?d/ (although most non-locals pronounce it /’h??tf?d/)
High Wycombe, England — /’ha? w?k?m/
Hockessin, Delaware — /’ho?k?s?n/
Holborn, Greater London — /’ho?b?n/
Holyhead, Wales — /’h?lih?d/
Earl of Home — /’hju:m/
Houston, Georgia and Houston Street (Manhattan) — /’ha?st?n/, vs the better known, irregular /’(h)ju:st?n/ of Houston, Texas,

named via Sam Houston after Houston, Scotland, a concatenation of “Hu’s town”
Hurricane, Utah and Hurricane, West Virginia — /’h??k?n/ (The /-?n/ ending is standard in the British pronunciation of

hurricane, but not in American English)

[edit] I
Illinois — /??l?’n??/
Inistioge, County Kilkenny — /?n??’ti?g/
Ironton, Ohio — /??ntn?//
Islay (island of the Inner Hebrides, Scotland) — /’a?l?/
Israel /’?zri?l/, /’?zre??l/
Italy, Texas — /’?tli/ with two syllables only

[edit] J
Job (given and surname, also as in Job’s Cove) — /d?o?b/
John — /d??n/ (RP) /d??n/ (GAm)

[edit] K
Kalaloch, Washington — /’kle?l?k/
Keble College and John Keble — /’ki?b?/
Keechelus Lake, Washington — /’k?t??l?s/
Keighley, West Yorkshire) — /’ki??l?/
Kehoe, Keogh (Irish surname) — /kjo?/
Keswick, Cumbria — /’k?z?k/
Keynsham, near Bristol — /’ke?n??m/
Kilconquhar, Fife — /ki’n?xa?/ or /ki’n(j)?k?/
Kingussie, Scotland — /k??’ju?si/
Kiltimagh, County Mayo, Republic of Ireland — /?k?lt??’m?k/
Kiribati (island nation in Pacific Ocean) — /’k??ibæs/ (spelling is regular in Gilbertese)
Kiritimati (island in Pacific Ocean) — /’k??ismæs/ (spelling is regular in Gilbertese)
Kirkby, Merseyside — /’k??bi/
Kirkcudbright, Scotland — /k?r’ku?b?i/
Kosciusko, Mississippi — /k?zi’?sko/

[edit] L
Labrador, Canada — /læb?.r?. ‘dor/
Lac Courte Oreilles, Wisconsin — /l??kud?’re?/
Lancaster, Pennsylvania /’læ?kist?(r)/ or /’læ?k?st?(r)/ vs. other Lancasters in the U.S. /’læ?kæst?(r)/
La Plata, Maryland — /l?’ple?t?/ listen (help·info)
Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, /l??(?)n/
Launceston, Cornwall — /’l??ns(t)?n/, /’l??ns(t)?n/ or /’læns(t)?n/ (but Launceston, Tasmania is /’l?ns?st?n/)
Leamington Spa and Leamington Hastings, Warwickshire — /’l?m??t?n/
Leap, County Cork, Republic of Ireland — /’l?p/
Leicester, England and Leicester, Massachusetts — /’l?st?/
Leintwardine, Shropshire — /’l?ntw?da?n/, /’l?ntw?di?n/, or /’lænt?di?n/ *
Lemoore, California — officially /’li:m??/ after the founder, quickly becoming /l?’m??/ due to its spelling and the number of

new people moving in to the town
Leominster, Herefordshire — /’l?mst?/. Compare Leominster, Massachusetts which is more intuitively pronounced /’l?m?nst?/
Leveson-Gower (e.g. H. D. G. Leveson-Gower, Granville George Leveson-Gower) — /’lu:s?n g??/
Lewannick, Cornwall — /lu?’?n?k/
Lewes, Delaware, Lewes, England, George Henry Lewes — /’lu?s/
Lima, Ohio — /’la?m?/
Liskeard, Cornwall — /l?s’k??d/
Lodi, California, and elsewhere in US — /’lo?da?/
Lostwithiel, Cornwall — /l?s’w?ði??l/
Loughborough, Leicestershire — /’l?fb??/
Louisville, Colorado and Louisville, Georgia — /’lu:wisvil/ vs. e.g. Louisville, Kentucky /’lu?iv?l]/ locally /’lu??v?l/ or

even /’l?v?l/
Lympne, Kent — /l?m/

[edit] M
Mackinac Island, Michigan — /’mæk??n??/
MacKay — /m?’ka?/ (to rhyme with “sky”)
MacLean, McLean, McClean, etc. — /m?’kle?n??/ (to rhyme with “rain”)[3][4][5], occasionally its anglicised equivalent

/m?’kli:n/ (to rhyme with “clean”)
MacLeod — /’m?’kla?d/
Madrid, as in Madrid, New Mexico and New Madrid, Missouri — /’mæd??d/
Magdalen(e) (as in Magdalen College, Oxford and Magdalene College, Cambridge) — /’m??dl?n/
Maidstone, Kent — usually /’me?dst?n/, although can be pronounced as spelt
Mainwaring — /’mæn?r??/ (non-fictional Mainwarings pronounce it the same)
Manchaca, Texas — /’mænt?æk/
Manea, Cambridgeshire — /’me?ni/
Mantua, Utah — /’mæ.n?.?we?/
Marjoribanks — /’m????bæ?ks/
Marlborough — /’m??lb??/
Maury County, Tennessee — /’m??e?/
McCaughey (as in the McCaughey septuplets) — / m?’k??/ (”McCoy”)
McGrath — In Ireland usually /m?’gra?/, though elsewhere often /m?’græ?/
Medina in several American states — /m?da?’n?/
Melbourne, Australia — /’mel.b?n/ or /’mæl.b?n/
Menzies (as in Menzies Campbell) — /’m???s/
Meols — /’m?ls/
Meopham, Kent — /’m?p?m/
Methow, Washington — /’m?ta?/
Mexia, Texas — /m?’he??/ listen (help·info)
Miami, Oklahoma — /ma?’æm?/
Michael — /’ma?k?l/
Milan, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Tennessee — /’ma?l?n/ listen (help·info)
Milngavie, Scotland — /’m?lga?/ or /’m?lga?/
Minories, London, England — /’m?n??.i?z/
Missouri — many residents of the U.S. state pronounce it /m?’z???/
Montague, Texas — /montæg/
Montpelier, Virginia — /montp?’l??/, perhaps more intuitive than the US standard /mont’pi:lj?/ of Montpelier, Vermont and

others (derived from Montpellier, France)
Moog — /’mo?g/
Moscow, Idaho — /’m?sko?/ All other Moscows in America are the expected /’m?ska?/
Mousehole, Cornwall — /’ma?z?l/
Mweelrea, County Mayo — /mwe?l’?i??/
Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire — /’ma?ð?mr??d/

[edit] N
Naas, County Kildare, Ireland — /ne?s/
Natchitoches, Louisiana — /’næk?t??/
Neagh, Lough in Northern Ireland — /ne?/
Nevada County, Arkansas; Nevada, Iowa; and Nevada, Missouri — /n?’ve?d?/ listen (help·info)
Newark, Ohio — /n?k/ vs. Newark, Delaware /’nu:.??k/
Newfoundland — /nu?.f?n. ‘lænd/
Niamh — /’ni:v/

[edit] O
Olney, Milton Keynes — /??ni?/ (local), /?lni?/ (otherwise)
Owenabue (river in County Cork) — /?o?n?’bwi?/

[edit] P
Peabody, Massachusetts — /’pi:b?di/, not /’pi:’b?di/
Pedernales River, Texas — /?p?d?’næl?s/
Pend Oreille, Washington — /p?nd?’?e?/
Pierre, South Dakota — /p?r/
Pfafftown, North Carolina — /’p?fta?n/ (Usually the p is silent in names starting with Pf)
Piceance Creek & Basin, Colorado — /’pi:?nts/ or /’pi:ænts/ (silent c)
Plaistow, Newham, Greater London — /’pl??st??/ (oh)
Plaistow, New Hampshire — /’plæsta?/ (ow)
Plymouth — /’pl?m??/
Pojoaque Pueblo, New Mexico — /p?’w?ki ‘pw?blo/
Pole-Carew (e.g. Sir Reginald Pole-Carew) — /’pu:l ‘k?ri/
Proulx (as in Marcel Proulx and E. Annie Proulx) — /p?u?/
Puget Sound — ['pju??t]
Puyallup, Washington — /pju’æl?p/

[edit] Q
Quidi Vidi, Newfoundland — /’k?di v?di/
Quincy, Massachusetts — /’kw?nzi/
Quirpon, Newfoundland and Labrador — /’k??pu:n/

[edit] R
Raleigh, North Carolina — /’?ali/
Raleigh (surname) — /’??li/ (although pronounced by most people as /’???li/)
Ralph — usually /?ælf/, though some (e.g., Ralph Fiennes, Ralph Vaughan Williams) prefer /?e?f/
Ratlinghope, Shropshire — /’?æt??p/, though perhaps only in jest
Reading, Berkshire — /’??d??/
Refugio, Texas — /??’fju?io?/ listen (help·info)
Regina — the female name is /??’d?i.n?/, but in British and Canadian place names (and in the legal Latin term for “queen”) it

is /??’d?a?.n?/
Rievaulx Abbey, North Yorkshire, UK — /’?i.v??/
Riga, New York — /’?a?g?/
Rio Grande, Ohio — /’?a?.o g?ænd/
Russia, Ohio — /’?u:?i:/ ?, ROO-she
Rutherfordton, North Carolina — locally /’??lft?n/ or variations on that
Ruthven, Aberdeenshire — /’??v?n/

[edit] S
St Ive, Cornwall — /’s?nt ‘i?v/ (however, St Ives is pronounced as spelt — /’s?nt ‘a?vz/)
St John (first name and surname) — /’s?n??n/ (as in Oliver St. John Gogarty); or intuitively /s?n’??n/ or /sa?nt’??n/ (as in

Ian St. John).
St Teath, Cornwall — /’s?nt ‘te?/
Saline, Michigan — /s?’li:n/
Salisbury, Wiltshire — /’s?lzbr?/, /’s??lzb??/
San Jose, Illinois — /sæn ‘?o?z/ listen (help·info)
San Rafael, California — /sæn ??’f?l/
Sault Ste. Marie — /’su: ’se?nt m?’ri?/
Schuylkill in Pennsylvania — /’sku:k??/
Sean (first name) — /???n/ (spelling Seán is regular in Irish)
Sequim, Washington — /skw?m/
Shawangunk (Mountains, town and prison in Hudson Valley region of New York) — /’???g?m/ is preferred by residents of the

area, although original pronunciation still used by visitors is more intuitive /??’w???g??k/
Shrewsbury, Shropshire — usually /’????zb?i?/, but can also be pronounced /’??u?zb?i?/
Siobhan (first name) — /??’v??n/ or /??’v??n/ (spelling Siobhán is regular in Irish)
Sioux (e.g. Sioux Falls, South Dakota) — /su?/
Skagit (name of a Native American tribe and various locales in Washington) — /’skæd??t/
Skidegate, British Columbia — /’sk?d?g?t/
Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire — /slæ’w?t/
Slough, Berkshire — /sla?/
Smethwick — /’sm?ð?k/
Southwark, Greater London — /’s?ð?k/
Southwell, Nottinghamshire — /’s?ð?l/ (the more intuitive /’sa??w?l/ is also used locally)
Spokane, Washington — /spo?’kæn/
Staithes, Yorkshire — locally /st??s/
Steilacoom, Washington — /’st?l?k?m/
Stouffville, Ontario — /’sto?v?l/
Strabane, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland — /st??’bæn/
Strachan — /str??n/, /’st?ax?n/ (although English TV presenters pronounce the name of Celtic F.C. manager Gordon Strachan as

/’st?æk?n/, as do many English people with the name)
Strathaven, South Lanarkshire -— /’st?e?vn/
Suir, River in Leinster, Ireland — /?u??/
Suisun City, California — /s?’su:n/

[edit] T
Tal(l)iaferro (American place & family names) — /’t?l?v?/
Tallaght, County Dublin — /’tæl?/
Teignmouth, Devon — /’t?nm??/
Tewksbury, Massachusetts — traditionally /’t?ks.b?.?i?/
Thames (river in England), Thames River in Ontario, and town and firth in New Zealand — /t?mz/ (the Thames River in

Connecticut is pronounced /?e?mz/)
Thibodaux, Louisiana — /’t?b??do?/
Tyrwhitt (surname) — /’t???t/
Tooele, Utah — /?tu’w?l?/
Topsail Beach, North Carolina — /’t?ps??/
Torpenhow Hill, Cumbria — /t??’p?n?/ (locally) or /’t??p?nha?/ (non-locally)*
Towcester, Northamptonshire — /’t??st?/ (toaster)
Tripoli, Iowa — /t??’po?l?/
Trottiscliffe, England — /’t??sli/
Tucson, Arizona — /’tu?s?n/

[edit] U
Ulgham, Northumberland — /’?f?m/

[edit] V
Valdez, Alaska — /’væl’di:z/
Vallejo, California — /’v?le?ho?/
Verdi, Nevada — /’v?da?/
Versailles, Illinois, Versailles, Kentucky and Versailles, Ohio — /v?’se?lz/ listen (help·info)
Vienna, Illinois — /va?’æn?/ listen (help·info)

[edit] W
Wahkiakum County, Washington — /w?’ka??k?m/
Warwick, UK — /’w???k/
Weiser, Idaho — /’wi:z?/
Wemyss Bay — /’wi:mz be?/
Whitemarsh Island — /’w?tm???/
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania — /’w?lks ?b?r?/, /-?b?ri/, or /-?b?r/
Willamette River, Oregon — /w?’læm?t/
Winzet — /’w?nj?t/
Wisbech, Cambridgeshire — /’w?zbi?t?/
Woburn, Massachusetts — /’wub?n/, Woburn, Bedfordshire and Woburn, Toronto are simply /’wo?b?n/
Wodehouse, English author — /’w?dha?s/
Woolfardisworthy, Devon — /’w?lzi/ or /’w?lz??i/
Worcester, England and Worcester, Massachusetts, both pronounced /’w?st?/. Compare Wooster, Ohio
Wriothesley — apparently anyone’s guess: /’?a?zli:/, /’???zli:/, /’??ksli:/, etc.
Wrotham, Kent — /’ru?t?m/
Wymondham, Norfolk — /’w?nd?m/ (locally) or /’w?m?nd?m/ (non-locally) *

[edit] Y
Yachats, Oregon — /’j?h?ts/
Yocona River, Mississippi — /’j?.kni/
Youghal, County Cork, Ireland — /j??l/
Youghiogheny River — /’jok?ge?ni/

[edit] Z
Zzyzx, California — /’za??z?ks/

[edit] References
G. M. Miller (editor) (1971). BBC pronouncing dictionary of British names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-431125-2. 
Ordnance Survey of Ireland (1989). Gazetteer of Ireland. Government Publications Office. ISBN 0-7076-0076-6. 
Pronunciations marked with * are from:

Wells, John C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. 2nd ed. Longman. ISBN 0-582-36468-X. 

[edit] See also
English spelling
List of words of disputed pronunciation (includes names like Melbourne that are pronounced differently in differentlocations)

Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_names_in_English_with_non-intuitive_pronunciations“

Categories: English phonology | Lists of place names | Lists of names

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