Name Pronunciation Help

[Jonathan Bones]

I'm going to be meeting an internet customer later this week, and I want to be sure that I'm pronouncing his name correctly. I was hoping a fellow forum member could give me an informed opinion.

The name: Topjian.

Your help is most appreciated. (With respect, please don't post guesses.) Thanks!

[Dr Nick]

Joe.

But seriously, is it a surname?

[talktwo]

I suggest you ask them how to pronounce their name. It's not that uncommon or rude to ask an individual how to pronounce their name given it may not be easily discernable.

[Jonathan Bones]

Yes, sorry--it's a surname. Mr. Topjian.

I know I'm being a little silly--I could just ask him how it's pronounced. But I want to be respectful, and I can honestly come up with several variations. Top- could rhyme with "mop" or "soap", and -jian could sound like "jen", "john", "gee-on", "shon", "zhon", or "shion". Or... numerous others.

I'm probably overthinking this. :lol:

[ji2o0k]

it is pronounced "Toejam" - p is silent

[Flame_lily]

Asking how to pronounce his name could make for a nice ice-breaker. He's probably been asked that a lot. I know I have & it's helped ease the initial awkwardness of meetings

[ian1386]

it is pronounced "Toejam" - p is silent

I'm not saying you're wrong, or questioning your credibility, but I would personally ask him how to pronounce his name before calling him "toe jam". :lol:

[king_george]

I can relate to this dude (dudette?).
My last name is so unique and unpronounceable that I've been asked that very same question a bajillion times. I now ask the person to give it a shot first before I tell them. It's a fun game :lol:

Ask the person so you won't embarass yourself by making a wild guess. I can tell you from experience that he's used to it and would rather tell you than allow you to squirm about trying to say the name.

Hell it took my wife a year before she could spell it without looking at her ID cards...:razz:

The good thing about having an unpronounceable last name is that once you learn it, you'll probably never forget it. I get people from high school whom I haven't seen in years, and I graduated in 1972, that still remember the name.

ETA: It's a fact that every last person in North America with my last name is somehow related to me. I'm not sure about Europe but I do know that when my family emigrated 100+ years ago they spread out all over the continent. When I put my first and last name into Google, all the hits are me. :) I've had an OPP officer joke with me about having the same last name and he dropped my speeding ticket to a nuisance ticket. :) He happened to be a cousin about 6 times removed. One of my other cousins is named Homer and works at the Bruce Nuclear plant..and no the last name isn't Simpson...:lol:

[abji13]

^What is it?

And if your uncomfortable asking him how to pronounce his last name, just say sir

[Jonathan Bones]

And if your uncomfortable asking him how to pronounce his last name, just say sir

Well, sure. But that might be perceived as impolite if he thought I was doing that because I didn't know how to pronounce his name.

Thanks for the story, king_george!

[konfusion666]

^What is it?

And if your uncomfortable asking him how to pronounce his last name, just say sir

if his last name is truly unique, then i'd advise King George to NOT reveal it on this forum, who knows how many sneaky scammer/stalker bastards are watching :lol:

[BuildBuyBreed]

You only need to say one thing after trying to say the name... "Am I saying/pronouncing this correctly? Mr Top-Jee-An?"

That's how I'd say it... TOP-JEE-AN.

[M.D.]

I'd just call him Mr. T from the A-Team

[king_george]

if his last name is truly unique, then i'd advise King George to NOT reveal it on this forum, who knows how many sneaky scammer/stalker bastards are watching :lol:

Heh...I've been around the Interweb long enough to realize that revealing anything personal about oneself is total stupidity. :lol:

No worries mate I'll never reveal anything at all that may reveal who I am or how someone can find me. Except I'm not afraid to admit I live in Oakville :) and my last name while quite unique, is very well known in some gov't circles in Ontario and Quebec.

If you saw my last name you'd simply shake your head and ask me my first name instead..:lol: :lol:
Thanks for the story, king_george!
It's always a pleasure to tell my "last name" stories to people who haven't heard them before..:lol:
I was once a part of a bowling team where the five of us had just 6 vowels (not counting y) in all our last names combined. The announcer nearly had a conniption trying to pronounce the names on the PA.

[CanadaBoy]

Be like:

YOU WAS UP T TO THE N MAN!

[Talamasca]

A quick Google search indicates that this surname is Armenian in origin. It's been years since my university linguistics courses but from reading the Wikipedia article on Armenian, "Topjian" looks like it would be pronounced as "Top-yan." Let us know how it turns out!

[sterdeus]

"Can I have the origin please?"

Have you seen the person, where could he be from?