We’ve been pronouncing Travis Etienne’s name wrong this whole time

One of the most alarming, and off-putting feelings is the realization you’ve been pronouncing someone’s name wrong — and it turns out we’ve all been doing it for years with Travis Etienne Jr. The former Jaguars running back signed with the New Orleans Saints this week, and the Jennings, Louisiana native used part of his introductory press conference to clear the air with his name.

Rather than “E-tee-ENN” as everyone has been pronouncing since, well, forever — the actual pronunciation is “AY-teean.” This makes a ton more sense considering Etienne comes from Creole ancestry, which would have made the original pronunciation much more French-sounding, likely originating from something like “AY-tu-onn.” One thing is certain: It’s going to take a lot of work to get used to pronouncing his name the correct way after all these years.

It’s painfully on-brand to imagine that Dabo Swinney was so confused with how to say “Etienne” at Clemson that Etienne just changed his name to make it easier on him. I feel this pain as a Dator. Everyone assumed it’s pronounced “DAY-ter” like “Gator” with a D, when in reality it’s “Dah-tore,” mutilated from Italian when my great, great grandfather came through Ellis Island.

I know what it’s like Travis. Hopefully everyone starts saying your name right.