How Do You Pronounce My Name?

 My daughter-in-law, Shalea, posted this on FB yesterday and tagged two of her children, Ki and Deise.

I was very aware that Deise had always had trouble with people mispronouncing her name, but I hadn't realized that Ki had too. The name is generally spelled Kai, which, from its Hawaiian roots, means 'the sea'. But how else would you pronounce Ki except 'Kye'? Unless it is Key? I should ask Shalea or Ki in what ways it has been mispronounced.

Before he was born, his parents had already decided boy or girl the baby would be named in honor of its two grandmothers' middle names, Kathryn and Irene. Their second child was a girl and she does bear that name while Ki's was shortened to the two first initials. I have seen one other instance of the name spelled the same as his - in a story about a man in Nebraska - surprisingly with the same last name.

(Ki playing in grandma's rain barrel.)

Ahh, but Deise's name. I can totally understand why people have trouble pronouncing it - and it is all my fault. 

Before she was born, I had realized my life long dream of going to Ireland. She was born a few weeks after I returned from there and on my birthday! Her parents decided to give her an Irish name because of the connection and asked me for ideas - what Irish girls' names I liked. 

I named a few, but also mentioned the name of an area I had seen in southeast Ireland in County Waterford. That area was Deise - pronounced Day-sha. And that is how she got her name. (Deise and me eating cake and celebrating our joint birthday.)

And that would be that except that they chose to use the Irish spelling instead of the English pronounciation. They also spelled her middle name Mei instead of May. I don't know if she has ever been tempted to change the spelling, even though it has given her trouble her whole life, but I don't think so.

Other ways of spelling Deise are: Dacia - which is also derived from a place name - formerly a Roman province where Romania is now. The aforementioned Daysha - 'serene' or 'the period of light between dawn and nightfall'.  Daisha - 'the one who is alive'. 

County Waterford is colloquially known as "The Deise", settled sometime between the 4th and 8th centuries by an Irish tribe called the Deisi. People from the area chant the popular term "Up the Deise" in support of their local hurling team.

In addition to my granddaughter's name, when I think of the area I also think of the beautiful crystal made there.

I've could never afford a piece of Waterford cyrstal but I've always admired it.

You might recognize it as being the trophy for winning a golf game. Or as the maker of the ball that drops on New Year's Eve in Times Square. 

I have never had trouble with anyone mispronouncing my name, Ramona, but I have had it misspelled many times: Ramonia, Romona, Romana.....