I’m spending all weekend in the office, working on a couple of grants that are due tomorrow. Being even more in need of sanity breaks (such as this quick blogging break) than usual, I took a nice refreshing walk in the snow yesterday lunchtime to a nearby Safeway. The cashier was new, and unusually chatty as she rang up my sandwich, milk (tea consumption is at an all-time high), fruit smoothie, and chocolate (an essential item). As I handed over my Safeway loyalty card and air miles card, she glanced at the latter and asked, “how do you pronounce your last name?”
“Um, Ennis”, I replied.
She gave me an extremely strange look as she took my cash and handed back my cards.
As I was walking away, putting the cards and change back in my wallet, I noticed that I haven’t yet changed my name on my air miles card. (I’ve been married 3 and a bit years, but hey, some name changes have a higher priority than others).
Now.
Asking someone how you pronounce “Dunn” is a bit weird, no?
However, I have to accept that answering with “Ennis” is even weirder.
I should probably avoid that checkout line for a wee while.
Haha – priceless! And I’m sure so were both her and your facial expressions 😀
Wish I could have been there to see that conversation unfolding. Plus, the look on your face when you found out why this was even stranger than you thought 🙂
Wonderful!
Our students are always trying to come up with a combined name for me and R – combining half of Haxton and Darton pretty much leads to the same name either way! They’re most disappointed when they figure that out.
Lisbeth & Lin, yeah, I did a Homer Simpson-esque “D’OH!” face when I realised!
KJ, no Haxdar?!
The merging of Dunn and Ennis into Dennis was discussed, but seeing as I already hate being called Cathy, it would have been waaaay too tempting for people to call me Cathy Dennis, so it was never a serious possibility!
Yesterday, for the first time EVER, a cashier asked how to pronounce my last name. And she wasn’t even kidding. I was bewildered. “Um, Snow?”
HA! Was this at Safeway? Maybe it’s a new policy.
I can’t remember if it was at Safeway or Save-On. They are both so similar that I constantly mix them up.
Baffling. I once had a British Airways clerk page me with “Mister Vint-le”, as though my surname were German.
(I will here avoid devolving into a protracted discussion of Saxon origins, &c.)
That’s the only time it’s ever happened. Uncommon surname, sure, but it doesn’t seem to pose most people with pronunciation problems. Spelling, on the other hand, is a whole different story.
haha 🙂 awesome! Guess you could pronounce it as “done”, right?
The gaelic is fairly rough on the edges (as is Swedish according to Southern drawl rules too ^^) I’m not expecting much nowadays with either of my names 😉
Ricardipus, I will call you Herr Vintle from now on.
Chall, done and Dunn are pronounced the same, at least in my accent! 🙂
Yes, I bet you get multiple questions and variations on spelling and pronunciation!
A cashier asked me about pronouncing my first name recently, but I’m a foreigner here, so that’s not too surprising. The spelling of my last name is incredible (it is not compatible with Spanish at all).
And when I order coffee it usually ends up labeled wrong — my favorite was “Emilio”. Seriously.
My surname in German was pronounced “Vofler” – it’s Fowler. In Finland and Spain it’s pronounced “{quizzically raised eyebrow}”
Emilio and Vofler – awesome!
Cath – I thought your last name was Vwxynot?
Yes, but it’s pronounced Ennis.
Last comment FTW! (Yours, I mean, not this one.)
🙂
Actually, this is a question. I was interseted in the history of my last name and what I found completely confounded me. My name is a christianized version of MacIonnrachraigh…..phew………Now,….does anyone out there know how to pronounce it? Using the Gaelic pronunciation is a bit intimidating but historically correct nontheless. I would be overjoyed to know how to pronounce this in the old Gaelic tongue. If there is anyone out there that has the knowledge and the Gaelic spirit in a large enough quantity to pronounce this name you will have my undying respect. Thank you! (send to [email protected])
Miss. Ennis
Nice to meet you
My fist name is Ennis. I was born in Brazil,
And believe me several times a day I said to spell my name.
“Really?! What is your name really?”
So I say
“plural’s N ” Literally