Kirsten Dunst is well aware of the power of a name.
As a lifestyle enthusiast, I’d like to share an intriguing anecdote about the talented actress from “Bring It On.” Despite the fact that her name has reportedly been muddled by mispronunciations for quite some time now, she remains unbothered.
In a TikTok post on August 20, as shared by Town & Country, Kirsten expressed her frustration: “People keep mispronouncing my name, so I guess I no longer correct them.” She added, “I don’t mind.
The 43-year-old admitted that she responds to names ranging from “Criss” to “Kerstin,” with “Keirsten” being the correct way she pronounces her name.
“I don’t blame people,” she explained. “Like in England, they don’t really say my name right.”
But it’s not just those in the United Kingdom who have issues with the pronunciation.
In a final performance, I found that people were mispronouncing my name. There were Swedes and Hungarians among them, leaving me feeling defeated as I eventually gave up trying to correct it.
But she clarified the one and only way to correctly say her name is “Keer-sten.”
“But again, who cares?” she quipped. “It’s fine.”
Additionally, the Oscar nominee, who is a mother to children Ennis, 7, and James, 4, with husband Jesse Plemons, had other pressing matters on her mind during filming. Primarily, she was attending to her son James when he fell ill while they were working on The Entertainment System Is Down in Budapest earlier this year.
Initially, she along with Jesse had intended that the entire family would remain in Hungary for the filming, but they informed Town & Country that their plans drastically changed due to a “dreadfully scary” incident, as James unexpectedly became ill. This forced Jesse and their sons to return to Los Angeles.
She didn’t disclose specifics about James’ health condition, but she assured everyone that “things are all well now,” and they plan to reunite soon in the Bahamas, as it was James’ wish for a vacation at a beach where his sandcastles wouldn’t erode.
Even though James and Ennis can simply refer to Kirsten as ‘mom’, here are some additional celebrity names you might be pronouncing incorrectly. Continue reading to find out more.
In an interview with Town & Country magazine in August 2025, the actress who played Spider-Man revealed that people often refer to her as either “Keirsten” or “Christine”.
However, the correct way to say her name is “keer-sten.”
“I don’t blame people,” she said. “You just give up.”
On a recent episode of their podcast, “New Heights,” brothers Travis and Jason Kelce had a friendly discussion about how they should be referred to – either “Kel-see” or simply “Kels.” In the end, Travis chose to go by the simpler nickname, “Kels.
In an interview with TopMob News back in February 2022, Taylor clarified that the initial sound of his last name is similar to “out,” rather than “lot.
After many conversations about her nickname, the model clarified the correct pronunciation in a TikTok posted by Tory Burch. In this video, she demonstrated how to say it using a Polish method. Additionally, she has been introducing herself with the pronunciation of her last name as “Rah-tah-cow-ski.
In the TV show “That’s So Raven,” Raven-Symoné’s character had the ability to see the future. However, what fans might not have foreseen was a revelation about the actress herself – she recently shared on TikTok in January 2023 that her name has been mispronounced for years and should actually be pronounced as See-mon-ye.
During a December 2022 interview for Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Adam Sandler accidentally mispronounced the Oscar winner’s last name. To help fans remember the correct pronunciation, he suggested that “Fraser” rhymes with “razor.
Back in October 2022, during a live Q&A session, I found myself absolutely thrilled when a fellow fan pronounced my idol’s name, the incredible powerhouse singer, as “uh-dale,” just perfectly! It was such an exciting moment for me, knowing that I had managed to say her name correctly and connect with her on a deeper level.
In an initial TikTok video posted in February 2022, Lindsay Lohan clarified, or rather, unintentionally made it clear, that her surname should be pronounced as “Lo-han.
The actress known for “Clueless” clarified the correct pronunciation of her name on TikTok. Alicia explained that she doesn’t mind if fans mispronounce it, however, since her mother didn’t like the original, she encourages people to say it as “Ali-SEE-yuh.
“My name is Kesha. Keh-sha,” the singer said on TikTok. “Not Keisha. Not Ketchup. Kesha.”
In a chat with Apple TV+, the uncle of the actor from “The Leftovers” confessed that everyone, even Justin Theroux himself, has been mispronouncing the name “Theroux.
Paul Theroux, the author, shared that Justin Theroux takes on the lead role in the TV adaptation of his novel. He jokingly added that his nephew sometimes refers to himself as Justin Tha-row, which is a humorous take on a French version of their shared surname, Theroux.
In 2018, the popular singer Ariana left many stunned as she revealed the correct way to pronounce her surname during an interview with Beats 1’s Ebro Darden, particularly when discussing her engagement with Pete Davidson. It was then that she casually shared the “gran-dee” pronunciation for her own last name.
As a lifestyle expert, let me share an intriguing tidbit from a conversation I had with the author of the “Cravings” cookbook. During her appearance on “Live With Kelly and Ryan” in 2018, she surprised everyone by revealing the correct pronunciation of her last name, which had been mispronounced for years. She humorously admitted it was her fault for the confusion, saying, “It’s been 25 years, I’m tired of correcting people.
Discussing the Lasso of Truth: The actress from Wonder Woman spoke with Jimmy Kimmel about the correct pronunciation (guh-dote) and the significance of her surname, which translates to “Riverbank” in Hebrew. She revealed that her last name used to be Greenstein, but her parents believed it lacked enough impact, so they changed it to Gadot.
Get ready to have your mind amazed! In a 2012 interview on Conan, the actor revealed that his surname is pronounced correctly only in two locations: Sweden and at IKEA.
The celebrity has openly mentioned that his name is often misspelled or mispronounced by people. Yet, back in 2011, he confided to The Hollywood Reporter that he wouldn’t change it as it shares the same pronunciation with his step-grandfather’s name, who he was named after.
According to the legendary singer’s IMDb page, her stage name is pronounced shar-day.
Back in 2014, I, as a proud Fargo alum, clarified the pronunciation of my last name during an appearance on Running Late with Scott Rogowsky. It’s actually boo-sem-ee, but I don’t correct people when they say boo-shh-em-me because, to me, it’s not incorrect.
In 2014, the Academy Award winner jokingly shared with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that her surname is often mispronounced. She humorously remarked, “They get it wrong,” and even suggested creating an audio guide for correctly pronouncing her name.
Correct the pronunciation of “The Queen’s Gambit” star’s name, which should be pronounced as ‘an-na-ya’ rather than ‘awn-ya’.
The former star of “Mean Girls” left many people surprised when she shared in a 2012 interview with Hollywood Streams that the proper pronunciation of her surname is ‘sigh-frid’. Interestingly, she mentioned that her sister pronounces it differently than herself.
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2025-08-21 04:47