A rose by any other name . . .
Which spellings are traditional?
- Shavonne
- Siobhan
- Isaac
- Issac
- Sheila
- Shelia
- Shiela
- Jesse (feminine); Jessie (masculine)
- Jesse (masculine); Jessie (feminine)
- Michael
- Micheal
- Keisha
- Keshia
- Kiesha
- Pheobe
- Phoebe
The classic spellings are B, C, E, I, J, L, and P.
Why?
Siobhan [shih-VAWN] is a feminine name of Irish Gaelic origin. It means “God is gracious.” In Irish, the name is written with an acute accent mark, or sineadh fada, over the “a”: Siobhán.
Isaac is a masculine name of Hebrew origin. It means “one who laughs.” The double “a” spelling is a legacy from when the name was translated into Greek and read as three syllables. The name Aaron has a similar history.
Sheila is another feminine name of Irish Gaelic origin. It means “heavenly” or “daughter of the Sun.” This name is commonly misspelled because of its tricky “ei” vowel combination. The admonition “i before e, except after c” causes many people to choose alternate spellings, moving the “i” around to form more familiar vowel combinations—either “ie” before the “l” (Shiela) or “ia” after the “l” (Shelia).
Jesse, without an “i,” is the masculine spelling of the name. An example is Jesse James. Jessie, with an “i,” is the feminine spelling of the name. A name in its own right, it’s also a nickname of Jessica.
Michael is a masculine name of Hebrew origin. It means “who is like God.” Similar to the name Sheila, Michael is commonly misspelled because of its unfamiliar vowel combination—in this case, “ae.” Replacing it with “ea” results in the -eal ending, which is common in English and feels “right.” The same ending in Michael is seen also in Rafael, Rachael, Ismael, and Israel.
Keisha is a feminine name of West African origin. It means “favorite daughter.” Featuring the same “ei” vowel combination as Sheila, this name is similarly misspelled as either Kiesha or Keshia because of the “i before e, except after c” mnemonic.
Phoebe [FEE-bee] is a feminine name of Greek origin. It means “radiant” or “pure.” The name became popular in the late 20th century because of two characters on TV: Phoebe Buffay (played by Lisa Kudrow) on the sitcom Friends and Phoebe Halliwell (played by Alyssa Milano) on the supernatural drama Charmed. The word “phoenix” [FEE-niks] has a similar spelling and pronunciation.
Of course, a name and its spelling are unique to each individual. Nobody’s name is spelled “wrong.” The traditional spellings are highlighted here for those who wish to know.
