About my name

Sat, 02 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0000

When I chose my own name —a liberating act that I think everyone should be allowed to do—, I wanted to go for something simple and inconspicuous. As it turns out, I was wrong on both assumptions. Since I am often asked about the pronounciation and origin of my name, I offer you a quick guide here.

Regarding origin, it’s one of the many variants of names like John and Juan, but it’s also short for Janet or Janice or, maybe (hopefully!), Janis.

I pronounce Jan as /ʤan/ (‘j’ as in ‘jeep’), but it can also be pronounced in other ways, such as /ʤæn/, /jan/ or /ʒan/. Some people, when I first meet them, pronounce it as /xan/, which I don’t mind, though I find it amusing.

personal | Jan Strappa

About my name