We have long been transfixed by the peculiarities of pronunciation of British surnames. If you have been puzzled by names such as Cholmondeley (‘Chum-ley’) or Londesborough (‘Londs-bro’) or Manwairing (‘Manner-ing’), you will find our list of surname pronunciations (below) fascinating.

The simplest explanation is that the pronunciation of words shortens over time – it is simply easier to downgrade the vowels in unstressed syllables and elide them rather than clearly enunciating every syllable in the word. In fact, English-speakers are quite prone to skipping syllables altogether in words like ‘family’ or ‘corporate’, which are frequently pronounced with two syllables, rather than three.

Many English surname spellings have been fixed at a certain point in their history; their spelling is etymological, rather than phonetic. Pronunciation is dynamic, changing radically over time, while spelling preserves forms of words that are no longer reflected in current speech.  The word (and surname) ‘knight’, for example, would have originally been pronounced ‘k-nicht’.

Other names have preserved idiosyncratic pronunciation of vowels, which reflects historic speech patterns rather than contemporary speech. We hear the ghostly voices of our ancestors in the following: Raleigh (‘Raw-li’), Ponsonby (‘Punsunby’), Malpas (‘Mawl-pas’), Hotham ‘(Huth-am’).

Whatever the reasons, English surname pronunciation is a maze of unexpected, and surprising, anomalies. It goes without saying that it is good manners, and a mark of respect, to attempt to get names right. Confidently fixing on an incorrect pronunciation looks careless; if you are in any doubt about a name, it is always a good idea to be explicit about your uncertainty, and ask the person if you are pronouncing it correctly. This shows a laudable, and respectful, desire to get it right.

Alternatively, you could do your research beforehand, by referring to our comprehensive list (below):

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