# Do Brits sometimes change pronunciation of their names for social climbing? **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-brits-sometimes-change-pronunciation-of-their-names-for-social-climbing/337504 **Category:** Factual Questions **Created:** [December 28, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-brits-sometimes-change-pronunciation-of-their-names-for-social-climbing/337504 "2005-12-28T22:41:51Z") **Posts on this page:** 1 **Showing post:** 20
### Author: ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense) #### Post date: [December 29, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-brits-sometimes-change-pronunciation-of-their-names-for-social-climbing/337504/20 "2005-12-29T15:15:02Z")
My cite for the variant pronunciations of Featherstonehaugh was an article that appeared in _Life_ magazine (I think) sometime in the late 1960s or early '70s, called “An Englishman’s Name is His Castle.” It humourously examined the unexpected pronunciations of British names, many of which are well known (Leicester pronounced Lester, Worcester pronounced Wooster, etc.) Another of the other family name examples it gave was Cholmondley, pronounced Chumley. The author theorized that if Minnesota were in the U.K., St. Paul and Minneapolis would be known as Simple and Mipples. The same principle was taken to its illogical conclusion by Monty Python: > [@Monty Python](#): > > Interviewer: Good evening. I have with me in the studio tonight one of Britain’s leading skin specialists - Raymond Luxury Yacht. > > Raymond: That’s not my name. > > Interviewer: I’m sorry - Raymond Luxury Yach-t. > > Raymond: No, no, no - it’s spelt Raymond Luxury Yach-t, but it’s pronounced ‘Throatwobbler Mangrove’. > > Interviewer: You’re a very silly man and I’m not going to interview you. > > Raymond: Ah, anti-semitism! --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-brits-sometimes-change-pronunciation-of-their-names-for-social-climbing/337504)._