# Quick pronunciation question: "Tuchman" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 4, 2021, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-question-tuchman/937161 "2021-03-04T10:44:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-question-tuchman/937161/1 "2021-03-04T10:44:33Z")
What would be the standard pronunciation of this family name in American English? Is is “Tookh-Man”, with the kh representing the /x/ sound that it has in German, where the name comes from? Or would it be “Took-Man”? And is the vowel a long u as in “boo”, a short u as in “took”, or an /ʌ/ as in “tuck”? (In case you’re wondering, the Mr Tuchman I’m interested in is [Peter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Tuchman), a floor trader at the NYSE whose face can frequently be seen in stock photos illustrating financial markets coverage in the media.) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-question-tuchman/937161/2 "2021-03-04T10:58:04Z")
It seems to vary. I couldn’t find anything for the specific named person you mention, but for others with the same surname, here are some examples of people saying the surname (not necessarily saying it right): [Tuchman | 30 pronunciations of Tuchman in English](https://youglish.com/pronounce/tuchman/english)? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-question-tuchman/937161/3 "2021-03-04T11:31:41Z")
The only person I’ve ever known by that name pronounced it as “Tuckman.” ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-question-tuchman/937161/4 "2021-03-04T11:49:17Z")
Barbara Tuchman is the only one I’m sure of and it’s _tuck-mən_. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-question-tuchman/937161/5 "2021-03-04T15:07:13Z")
Tuckman. I don’t dispute your assertion that it is Tookhman in German, but most Americans simply don’t know that sound. Compare it to how clearly Jose Feliciano teaches us the Spanish “z” in Feliz Navidad, yet all the Americans keep pronouncing it Felice. ---
**Author:** ![blabbermeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9a140/32.png) [@blabbermeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blabbermeister)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-question-tuchman/937161/6 "2021-03-04T15:25:40Z")
By default I’d say Tuckman. Maybe similar to the name Zachary, the first syllable of which would typically be pronounced Zack. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-question-tuchman/937161/7 "2021-03-04T15:38:44Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > The only person I’ve ever known by that name pronounced it as “Tuckman.” ditto for me ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-question-tuchman/937161/8 "2021-03-04T15:42:48Z")
> [@Schnitte](#): > > What would be the standard pronunciation of this family name in American English? Is is “Tookh-Man”, with the kh representing the /x/ sound that it has in German, where the name comes from? Most American speakers are totally unfamiliar with the /x/ sound. My family surname is German origin and ends with that sound. It’s impossible to get most Americans to even hear it. It’s always elided. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-question-tuchman/937161/9 "2021-03-04T15:46:05Z")
Only way I’ve heard it pronounced. If that was your name you’d be sorely disappointed if you tried to get Americans to pronounce it any other way. Maybe someone would say ‘touch-mun’, but names like that are pronounced the like -uck and are well known. In the comedy Used Cars the antagonist was named Roy L. Fuchs, they pronounced it like ‘Fukes’ in the movie as part of the joke. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-question-tuchman/937161/10 "2021-03-04T15:52:00Z")
Don’t even mention Vincent van Gogh! 😀 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Ceo7E1R78yo/hqdefault.jpg "How to pronounce Vincent van Gogh") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ceo7E1R78yo) ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-question-tuchman/937161/11 "2021-03-04T16:43:32Z")
There’s a pretty clear consensus view here. Thanks, folks! ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pronunciation-question-tuchman/937161/12 "2021-03-04T17:59:08Z")
I’m not sure that the standard pronunciation in “American English” would apply in this case. According to [Wkipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Tuchman) , he was born in NYC. I have lived in NYC my entire life, and I’m pretty sure the way I’ve always heard it pronounced is close to the way you describe it. (although probably not exactly) In the interests of full disclosure, though, I grew up in a neighborhood where a lot of my friends went to German school after regular school let out.