Hello,

I would like to know if there is a precedent for pronouncing the name
'Teige' to rhyme with the word 'cage' or 'beige'. If there is a
precedent for this pronunciation, I would like to know the origin and
meaning of this version.

Why do I want to know this? Well, my wife and I are expecting our
first child in March and we've started to look into names. We're
looking into this name for a boy.

When I was younger, approximately 10 years old (nearly 20 years ago),
I met a boy who had this name (phonetically: Tage) and it has stuck
with me all these years. I never knew how he spelled it and I don't
know his heritage. I shared the name with my wife about a month ago
and she likes it (though she isn?t as set on it as I am!).

As qualifiers:

We could use the spelling 'Tage' or possibly 'Taige' or another
alternative, but we're not fans of these spellings. If we're going to
use the name, both my wife and I like the spelling 'Teige'.

I know we could just use the spelling and pronounce it however we
want, but, if it's out there, I would like to have a valid example of
the spelling and pronunciation my wife and I like.

Let me pass along some of my research: 

The most common pronunciation appears to be like 'Tiger' but without
the last syllable (without the 'r'). However, my wife posts on a
pregnancy message board where she has asked about this name. She
received a reply from a lady who works with someone with this as a
last name. According to the lady, her coworker pronounces it to rhyme
with the color 'beige'. This appears to be a precedent, but the lady
that replied to my wife said the person with this last name was
French, Czechoslovakian, and Russian.

I ran into a Czech version of the name at
http://www.nyu.edu/greyart/exhibits/teige/. It says the name is
pronounced TY-ghe ('Tiger' without the 'r'). It looks like I have two
opposing views here or there are a couple Czech pronunciations. Or the
name has been filtered through France?

I haven't been able to find any documentation of the pronunciation I
like, aside from two message board references (one is the reply to my
wife).

Also, there are a few websites that say 'Teige' is an anglicized
version of the Irish name 'Tadhg'. 'Tadhg' is pronounced similar to
'Tiger' without the 'r'.

'Teige' appears to be of Irish origin meaning poet and, on some
websites, to additionally mean philosopher. I have also run into a
couple websites that say the origin is English and it means good
looking. Since the evidence for the Irish origin appears to outweigh
the evidence for an English origin, I?ve mostly focused on the Irish
results. I would like to know if the meaning of the pronunciation I
like has the same meaning as the traditional Irish pronunciation (or
is it simply the Irish name with an English pronunciation; hence
anglicized!).

Thanks for your help.

Hello Kotte-koe  (and how do you pronounce that?)

The name Teige, as a first name, is not Czech, nor even Slavic.

The last name of Karel Teige, an important Czech intellectual from the
period between the two wars is German. (Many Czechs of Jewish origin
have German last names due to certain royal edict in the 17th
century). The first name 'Karel'=Charles is related to czech
král'=king.
In German "ie" is pronounced  like ee in green and 'ei' is prounced
like the  i in bike.

As a first name, Teige is Anglicised from similar Irish/ Scottish names:
Names that are related to TEIGE: 
TADG   m   Irish, Scottish	
TADHG   m   Irish, Scottish	
TEAGUE   m   Irish	
TEIGUE   m   Irish
http://www.behindthename.com/php/extra.php?extra=r&terms=teige
and there is some debate among experts about pronounciation: 

>4. distinction of @i/ai - Tadhg/Taidhg - is it worth imitating? 

In Donegal, we say /te:g/ and /te:g'/, so...
[
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:91sfllZUlFEJ:www.daltai.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/daltai/discus/show.pl%3Ftpc%3
]
  ( [..] means whole long URL has to bee pasted into browser - without spaces)

where 'e:' is the ASCII transcription of IPA character which sounds like 

 	e:(r)  in	turn, learn	Amer / Brit

http://www.antimoon.com/how/pronunc-ascii.htm

However, the "proper" pronounciation may prove irrelevant. 

I know a yong lady called named Nike (Greek godess), which was
pronounced it the Greek way in your youth in Europe. Now she is in the
U.S. and
Americans pronounce this goddess like the brand of shoes or the
missile 'Nike', Soon after she  moved to the US she decided to keep
the spelling but adopt the pronounciation "Nicky", since she does not
want to sound  like a brand of shoes.
You may very well have a similar problem and solution on your hands.
(You may want to see the movie 'LA story' for more on pronounciation
and spelling of names)

You may be interested about what the name means:

McKaig (and the several spelling variations) is an Anglicized form of
Mac Thaidhg , a Gaelic name found in Scotland and Ireland which means
"son of Tadhg." Tadhg is an ancient given name that meant "Poet,
Philosopher" in Gaelic.
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/4crests/surmeanio.html

Irish MacDermotts
The family descends are a branch of the O'Connors, descended from
Tadhg O'Connor (Teige of the White Steed), who was King of Connacht
before the Norman invasion. Tadhg has a son Maolruanaidh, and it is
from him that the tribe got its name - Clan Mulrooney. The sept took
its name from Mulrooney's grandson, Diarmuid O Maelruanaidh Mor, King
of Moylurg from 1124 to 1159 and brother of Conor, King of Connacht.
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/hardiehistory/namemeanings/names/mcdermott.htm


Hope this answers your question and perhaps also gives you some food for thought.


Hedgie (which the Czechs pronounce "head gee yeh")

I pity the poor kid, since no one will know how to pronounce or spell his name.