In a world where celebrities name their kids Techno Mechanicus and an Australian journalist named her son Meth Rules, we’re all getting used to baby names that don’t roll off the tongue.
So you might be surprised to learn that the most commonly mispronounced baby name is actually quite simple.
A boy’s name popular in the UK and Ireland is the one we all struggle with the most, a new study has found.
What is this tricky nickname you ask? Sean.
The biblical name is of Irish origin and means “God is gracious” or “gift from God.” But people seem to have stumbled upon the fact that it’s pronounced “Sean” (/ʃɔːn/), rhyming with words like “dawn” and “fire.”
The WordFinderX study analyzed data from Forvo, a website that teaches people how to pronounce words.
Sean has been asked questions on the site a million times. It was followed by the slightly more complex Basque name Xuxa (pronounced “Shoo-Shoo” /uʃː.ʃa/), which was entered 802,000 times on the site.
However, other common British names in the top 20 include Anne, David and Victoria. This may seem strange to a UK reader, but given that this is a global study perhaps it makes a little more sense.
Rounding out the top 20 is Saoirse (/ˈsˠiːɾˠʃə/), a name that will come as no surprise to any non-Irish.
Actress Saoirse Ronan said she finds it “really funny” how many people have trouble pronouncing her name – and at least we’re forgetting the 2015 Golden Globe nomination incident when actor Dennis Quaid renamed her “Shea” “Shah”…
The most mispronounced names in the world:
- Sean /ʃɔːn/
- Syuksa /uʃː.ʃa/
- Victoria /Vɪkˈtɔːrɪə/
- Francisco /Frənˈsiːskəʊ/
- Plato /ˈpleɪ.toʊ/
- Anna /ˈænə/
- Estrella /esˈtɾeʝa/
- Alexander /ˈalɛksandər/
- Benjamin /ˈbenʤəmɪn/
- Michael /ˈmɪçaˌeːl/
- Maria /Məˈraɪə/
- Xavier /ˈzeɪ.vɪə/
- Thomas /ˈtɒməs/
- Anna /æn/
- David /ˈdeɪvɪd/
- Mary /ˈmɛɹi/
- Guillaume /Ɡi.jom/
- Laura /lɔːrə/
- Juan /ʃivaː/
- Saoirse /ˈsˠiːɾˠʃə/
MORE: ‘Weird’ baby names aren’t just for celebrities—they’ve become the new normal
MORE: Mom-to-be criticized for charging friends money to attend her baby shower
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