35 celebrity names you might be mispronouncing
Olivia Singh
- Many famous people have names which are notoriously mispronounced by fans.
- For example, Cillian Murphy's first name is pronounced "KILL-ee-uhn," not "SILL-ee-uhn."
Celebrities aren't immune to mispronounced names, even if most of us have heard them correctly at one point or another.
Some names might be more difficult because of the accent on the letters, while others have some silent letters that could throw you off.
Keep reading to see which stars have had to correct their names for the public record.
Kim Renfro and Anjelica Oswald contributed to a previous version of this article.
Football stars Travis and Jason Kelce's last name is technically one syllable, not two.
It's pronounced "Kels," not "Kel-SEE."
The pronunciation depends on which member of the family you're talking to, though.
During a 2021 interview on the podcast "Bussin' with the Boys," Travis said the correct pronunciation is actually "Kels." However, he later said that he goes by both pronunciations.
Meanwhile, their mom, Donna Kelce, told Kansas City's local news channel Fox 4 that it's pronounced "Kel-see."
The situation became even more confusing when Jason told the radio show "The 94WIP Morning Show" that their dad, Ed Kelce, changed the pronunciation because he "got tired" of correcting his coworkers who called him "Kel-see."
"Apparently, the standard pronunciation is 'Kels, 'which the rest of my family goes by," Jason said.
Ed confirmed this story on the brothers' "New Heights" podcast in 2023.
Even though Travis answers to either pronunciation, Jason said he goes by "Kel-see."
Barry Keoghan is recognizable for his roles in "Eternals," "The Banshees of Inisherin," and "Saltburn," but fans might not know how to pronounce his name.
It's pronounced, "Keo-gan."
"You pronounce the 'g.' Or at least I do," the Irish actor said at Dublin Comic Con in 2022. "Maybe I've just been pronouncing it wrong all these years, but yeah, the 'g' sound is in there."
Hear Keoghan pronounce his name at the start of this interview with Esquire.
"Oppenheimer" star Cillian Murphy's first name is pronounced "KILL-ee-uhn," not "SILL-ee-uhn."
You can listen to the Irish actor pronounce his name at the start of this Vanity Fair video.
"Twilight" star Taylor Lautner, who has been acting since he was a kid, never bothered correcting people on their mispronunciation.
His last name is pronounced "LOWT-ner," not "LOT-ner."
"It is my fault that nobody knows how it's actually pronounced because I never corrected anybody for decades," he admitted during an appearance on an episode of "The Unplanned Podcast" in 2023. "It is technically 'Lowt-ner.'"
Khloé Kardashian's name is not pronounced the same way as people named Chloe.
"It's 'Khlo-AY,'" said "Watch What Happens Live" host Andy Cohen during an appearance on the "Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" in March 2021. "'Khlo-AY' is the name. There's a little accent over the name."
This correct pronunciation was confirmed by Khloé's mom Kris Kardashian.
"I went and interviewed the Kardashians at Khloé's house," Cohen continued. "I walked in and I go, 'Khlo-ay,' and the other women go, 'Excuse me?' And Kris said, 'Yeah, that's actually really how it's pronounced.'"
A GQ profile of Hollywood icon Steve Buscemi revealed a common mistake people make with his name.
Buscemi is known for starring in classic films like "Reservoir Dogs," "Fargo," "The Big Lebowski," and many, many more. Despite his recognition, people have been saying his name wrong for decades now."
He says it boo-sem-ee, not boo-shem-ee," reporter Gabrielle Paiella wrote in GQ's May 2020 profile of the actor.
Ariana Grande grew up saying her last name differently.
She said on Beats One that her brother Frankie Grande changed the pronunciation from "Gran-DEE," which is how her grandfather said it, to "Grawn-DAY," and it stuck.
Hear Grande pronounce it during her Beats One interview.
"Stranger Things" star Dacre Montgomery's first name rhymes with "acre."
His name is pronounced just like the unit of measurement "acre," but with a "D" at the front. Montgomery explained how to properly say his name in a GQ interview.
You've probably been saying "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling's last name incorrectly.
Her name isn't "r-OW-ling," it's pronounced "ROLL-ing." But she answers to both, since many people in the US still put emphasis on the "ow."
She told the Guardian how it should be said.
"Wonder Woman" star Gal Gadot's last name is commonly mispronounced.
Despite breaking box office records, people still get Gadot's name wrong. When you say her name, make sure to pronounce the "t," like "Guh-DOT."
She told Jimmy Kimmel how to say it right during a 2016 interview.
Rihanna is a multi-hyphenate icon, but many still say her name wrong.
While many of us might say "Ri-YAWN-a," she says it's "Ri-ANNA." She explained how to say it on "Showbiz Tonight."
Ralph Fiennes is known for his role as the "Harry Potter" villain Voldemort, but his real name is a bit tricky.
It's pronounced like "RAY-ph Fines." You can hear him talk about his name at the 4:40 mark of this "CBS This Morning" video.
The "Th" is actually a hard "t" sound in "Westworld" star Thandiwe Newton's first name.
Her name is pronounced "TAN-dee." In addition, Newton reclaimed the original spelling of her first name in 2021.
Stephen Colbert says it correctly in his 2016 interview with the actor.
Matt Czuchry is known for his role as Logan on "Gilmore Girls."
The first "c" of his last name is silent, so it's pronounced "ZOO-krie." Hear it during this Wall Street Journal interview.
Zendaya has come a long way in Hollywood since her days as a Disney Channel star, but people still mispronounce her name.
Her name is pronounced "Zen-DAY-uh," not "Zen-DIE-uh." The viral "Zendaya is Meechee" video will help you remember.
Josh Duhamel is well-known for his role in the "Transformers" movies.
Ignore the "a" when saying "DOO-mel." Jimmy Fallon gets it right in this 2015 interview.
Charlize Theron's last name is pronounced "Their-IN," not "Their-own."
Hear her explain it on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" here.
"Doctor Strange" star Chiwetel Ejiofor's last name is pronounced "CHEW-eh-tel Eh-gee-oh-for."
He spoke about it in a 2015 interview with Vanity Fair.
French actor Marion Cotillard is well-known for "Inception" and her Oscar-winning performance in "La Vie en Rose."
The l's in the French actor's name are silent. You say it "Mary-ON Coat-EE-ard."
Mahershala Ali has proven his skills in projects including "House of Cards," "Moonlight," "Hidden Figures," and "Green Book."
His full name is Mahershalalhashbaz, but his shortened name is pronounced "Ma-HER-shuh-luh." You can hear him say his full name at the 30-second mark of this ConnTV interview.
American-Irish actor Saoirse Ronan's first name rhymes with "inertia."
Ignore the vowels and say "SUR-sha."
Hear her explain it on "The Late Late Show With James Corden."
Alden Ehrenreich joined the "Star Wars" franchise as the young Han Solo in the 2018 "Solo" movie.
His last name is pronounced "AARON-rike." He explained it on KiddNation.
Model-turned-actor Cara Delevingne's last name is pronounced "CAR-uh Dell-uh-VEEN."
You can hear it in this Wired video.
Quvenzhané Wallis was five when she auditioned for "Beasts of the Southern Wild," which led to her first Oscar nomination.
This is how you say her name: "Qwuh-ven-JUH-neigh." Here's Wallis explaining how to say it.
Milo Ventimiglia is known for his roles in "Heroes," "Gilmore Girls," and "This Is Us."
Don't say the "g" in his name. It's "Vent-ih-ME-lee-uh." The "Today" show hosts nailed it.
Domhnall Gleeson has starred in quite a number of hit movies, including roles in the "Harry Potter" and "Star Wars" franchises.
His first name is pronounced "DOUGH-null," like tonal.
Gleeson told Entertainment Weekly how to say it in 2015.
Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya's last name is pronounced "Kuh-LOO-yuh."
Stephen Colbert says it correctly during their 2018 interview.
Actor and comedian Tiffany Haddish's last name is pronounced "HAD-ish," like radish.
Hear her say it during her 2017 "Saturday Night Live" promos.
Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet's first name is actually pronounced "Timo-TAY" not "Timo-TEE."
Also, his last name is "Sha-luh-MAY."
"The real pronunciation is 'Timo-tay,' but I can't ask people to call me that; it just seems really pretentious," he told musician Frank Ocean during a 2018 interview.
"The Walking Dead" alum Steven Yeun won an Emmy for his work on the Netflix show "Beef."
His last name is pronounced "YUN," like sun. Hear him say it during this interview with Wired.
Noah Centineo became a breakout star for his swoon-worthy role as Peter Kavinsky in the 2018 rom-com "To All the Boys I've Loved Before."
His name is pronounced "Cen-tin-A-oh," not "Cen-ten-KNEE-o."
Hear the actor say it here.
Demi Moore has been acting since the 80s.
Her name is pronounced "Deh-MEE," not like Demi ("DEM-ee") Lovato says hers.
Hear Moore say it during her roast of ex-husband Bruce Willis here.
Anna Faris' first name is pronounced "AWE-nuh," like Donna.
She told Time Out that it's "annoying" for her.
"I'm always afraid that people are thinking that I'm a little pretentious when I say my name," she said.
In 2018, Chrissy Teigen let fans know that people have been saying her name wrong.
Comedian Hasan Minhaj says people get his name wrong all the time.
Minhaj's breakout career moment happened when he hosted the 2017 White House Correspondents' dinner because nobody else would.
His name is pronounced like "Hassen Min-haj," without the extra emphasis on "Hah-sahn" or "Min-AH-j" the way most people mistakenly say it.
"When I first started doing comedy people were like, 'You should change your name,'" Minhaj told Ellen Degeneres in 2019. "And I'm like, 'I'm not gonna change my name. If you can pronounce Ansel Elgort, you can pronounce Hasan Minhaj.'"
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