With his rise in the polls, there seem to be as many different variations on how to pronounce Pete Buttigieg’s last name as there are Democrats running for their party’s Presidential nomination. Here’s your answer:
The 2020 election is still over 19 months away, and already, roughly 700 Democrats have announced their presidential campaigns. Among them, Peter “Mayor Pete” Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Though there are still some significant holes in his platform, Buttigieg is becoming increasingly popular, and has already received the necessary number of donations to be able to participate in the June Democratic Committee debate. In other words, we will be talking about him for a while, so we should know how to pronounce his name.
Let’s start at the top. His first name IS PRONOUNCED:
• Pee-ter
Or, if you are using his nickname, Pete, it IS PRONOUNCED:
• Peet
As for his last name, Buttigieg, it IS NOT PRONOUNCED:
• Butt-ee-geeg
• Butt-i-geg
• Smith
• Butt-i-jeeg
It IS PRONOUNCED:
• Boot-a-judge
• Buddha-judge
It COULD BE PRONOUNCED:
• Boot-edge-edge. This is the pronunciation suggested by the candidate’s own Twitter bio, and the campaign is already selling shirts that say “Boot Edge Edge.” Personally, when I think of this pronunciation, I end up saying Buttigieg’s name as three separate words — “Boot. Edge. Edge.” — which is incorrect, but whatever works for you, I guess.
Buttigieg’s husband, who shares his last name, seems to be somewhat offers several options:
Hope that clears it up.
Buttigieg’s name. by the way, is Maltese in origin. His father immigrated to the United States from the island nation of Malta to attend college. The name is of both Semitic and Maltese origin, and I’m pretty sure that Buttigieg is the first descendant of Maltese immigrants to run for President.
