# How does one pronounce the name "Siân"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-the-name-sian/289639>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 11, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-the-name-sian/289639 "2005-02-11T20:00:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-the-name-sian/289639/1 "2005-02-11T20:00:41Z")

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After putting it off for several years, I finally went out and bought the full 13-part Masterpiece Theater production of _I, Claudius_ on DVD. And I’m loving every decadant, disgusting minute of it. Even if I am having to draw extensive family trees in order to help my friends keep all of the characters straight. But one question I couldn’t answer was how to pronounce the name of the actress who plays the ultimate cold-blooded she-bitch, Livia – Siân Phillips.

Anybody got a basic grasp of Welsh?

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**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-the-name-sian/289639/2 "2005-02-11T20:28:08Z")

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Well I’m Welsh and I could verbally say it to you but on paper the best I can do is:  
Shan with the “a” slightly drawn out.

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**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-the-name-sian/289639/3 "2005-02-11T21:23:24Z")

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I’m not Welsh but I’d say it was somewhere in between ‘Sharn’ and ‘Shahn’. In fact, the way Americans pronounce the male name ‘Sean’ always sounds like the Welsh female name ‘Sian’ to me.

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**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-the-name-sian/289639/4 "2005-02-11T22:36:16Z")

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I know a Welsh woman named Sian. She pronounces it the way most Americans pronounce the names Sean or Shawn.

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**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-the-name-sian/289639/5 "2005-02-11T23:33:44Z")

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Once again the Dope comes through.

Thanks for your contributions!

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**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\
**Post date:** [February 11, 2005, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-pronounce-the-name-sian/289639/6 "2005-02-11T23:55:36Z")

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Here I’ve mostly heard it pronounced to rhyme with “barn”.