Thea

I was named after both of my Grandmothers. My middle name, Bernice (pronounced Brrr-niece), was from my maternal Grandmother's middle name. My first name, Thea, is from my paternal Grandmother's first name; her Mother was from Oslo, Norway. My mother liked the English pronunciation whereas I was called "Thee-ah"; not the harsh "Th" like in the word "thee & thou", but a soft "Th" like Cynthia. (Remember, I'm talking about pronunciation, not the written form.) My Grandmother was called "Tay-ah", as that is how it's pronounced in Norwegian. (The different pronunciations came in handy when we had family parties.) I'm now called by both pronunciations, however I prefer the Norwegian style.

I have always been rather chuffed with my name although, it's always been a small battle of mine to get new people that I meet to pronounce it properly. School registration had always been tiresome in the first few weeks of a new year as my teachers were VERY hit and miss. I've been named; 'Tee-ya', 'Tay-ah' and 'thay-ah'; when I go by the 'thee-ah' pronunciation. I've found that it depends on where you are, because my granddad's always pronounced it 'tee-ya' as he is French.

This name is also used in France, where it is pronounced "TAY-ah."