Those who know me (I’m talking friends, not family) probably remember the first time we were introduced and heard my name spoken. OK, you probably don’t remember anything except that it was very strange, different, and hard to pronounce.
Montserrat
How do you say it? Mon see rat? Mont say rat? You see why I usually just prefer to tell people my nickname. Montse. That in itself is hard to pronounce, but it is easier to remember, you just take the rat off and say moan see. You know, you moan when you see me coming and say “Oh, no! Not her again!”
When I was little and my siblings and I would get in arguments they’d call me monster rat because that’s what my name spelled if you switched the t and s. In fact, that’s what was on my Costco card for a whole year Monsterrat. What’s worse is I didn’t notice it until 5 months after I had the card!
So once and for all, here is how you pronounce my name. For those who speak English it’s easier to say Mawn-ser-RAHT. You can hear the English version pronounced here. The proper way to say it is mon-seh-RAHT. This link was the best I could find to hear it pronounced correctly. It is actually pronouncing the full name of a Catalan singer so just listen to her first name. It’s the eighth one down the list.
I love my name. It is a family name reminding me of my Catalan heritage. My grandmother even found one of my direct ancestors named Montserrat who shares my same birth date about 400 years earlier. It’s just not a common name for the states so I’ve had to deal with mispronunciations all my life. But it makes hearing my name pronounced correctly that much more gratifying. I really appreciate it when friends (and family!) take the time and effort to pronounce it correctly.
And in case you are wondering where Montserrat comes from, it is a mountain north of Barcelona, Spain. You can see a slide show of photos here. There is also an island in the Carribean named Montserrat. The Beach Boys sing “that Montserrat mystique” in the song Kokomo.
That’s actually really pretty. I love unique names that come from someone’s heritage.
I knew it was a place.. and I know how to pronouce it… but I must admit I spelt in Monster rat in the previous post.. and checked it so I didnt offend you.. I am so glad i checked and fixed it!! that typo is so easy.. but my name typo is easy too
Bobbie… It is just too easy for people to type Boobie.. I have even had that on a Baptismal program where I was speaking.. can you say EMBARRASSING!!! and friend on their email lists I have seen it as Boobie… oh dear!!
And my name is Weird for australia (not at all for america) Bobbie-Jean.. people dont hyphenate here.. and I get asked all the time are you american? are you parents american??? NO they arent.. none of my extended family has ever been to america (I have though)
I have never met another one here.. and Bobbie is a boys name to Australians.. so I have never met another girl Bobbie here either.. so people think my name is weird here and I got teased (only a little) at school too
So cool! I love unique names, and yours in beautiful!
I love to hear ChaCha or Guelita talk about you and say your name, they say it so beautifully! I, however will keep to saying Montse, can’t seem to get it right. Lexi, has a girl in her class this year with the same name. It’s the 2nd time I’ve ever heard it. : ) It is such a unique and beautiful name. Made even more special by sharing it with someone from your family more than 400 yrs ago. Very cool.
I think you’ve done this post before?
There was a Montserrat in one of the classrooms I taught in, in wmca. She was amazed that I knew how to say her name and how to shorten it. DH said over the years he’s worked with several Montse’s–you aren’t alone! LOL.
Maybe we could just call you Monster Rat? I remember you telling us how to spell it that way.
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i think it is a beautiful name too…and i loved when all of those guys from spain pronounced it.
I love names that have meaning to them! Yours seems to have a LOT of meaning and history behind it! Thanks for sharing!
Neat! Thanks for sharing
Love the name. In 1987 I vacationed in Monserrat. That was before a volcano destroyed most of the beautiful island. I recently started following your blog and enjoy the wit and wisdom.
What a great name with tons of history.
Love though that it took you 5 months to pick up on the costco typo!
I clicked on the pronunciation guide the other day, when you posted that your little girl thought your middle name was dot. I love the way it sounds. I don’t think it’s weird. I’ve been repeating the pronunciation over and over for the last couple days. That’s how much I like it.
I love your name. I think names that have a history are the best names ever. I also have a different name, Melia. It is basically Hawaiian, but my parents had never heard of it, they thought that they made it up after hearing Mele Kalikimaka. It gets fun to share the stories about different names. Thank you for sharing yours.
Oh my word! I finally know what they are singing in that part of the Kokomo song!!! Thank you! So you’re telling me that I’ve been singing your name all of my life???? 🙂 Too funny!