Zendaya is an actress and singer who has become hugely popular in recent years. Her first name is pronounced zen-DAY-uh. The accent is on the second syllable “DAY”. It’s an unusual name that sometimes trips people up when they try to say it for the first time.
What is the origin and meaning of the name Zendaya?
Zendaya is a name with African origins. It’s believed to be a variant of the Shona name Tendai, which means “to give thanks” in the Shona language spoken in Zimbabwe. So the name Zendaya essentially means “giving thanks”.
Zendaya was born Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman in 1996 in Oakland, California. She began going by just her first name Zendaya as her career took off. Her parents chose the beautiful and meaningful name to honor her ancestors and family roots.
How is Zendaya’s first name spelled?
The spelling of Zendaya’s first name is:
- Zendaya
It contains 7 letters – the Z at the beginning, then E-N-D-A-Y-A. The “day” syllable in the middle is the emphasized part of the name when pronounced correctly.
What are the main ways her name is mispronounced?
Since Zendaya has an uncommon name that many have not heard before, it often gets mispronounced upon first encountering it. Here are some of the common mistakes:
- Zen-DAY-uh – Putting the accent on the first syllable instead of the second.
- Zen-die-AY – Putting the accent on the last syllable.
- ZEN-day-uh – Putting too much emphasis on the Z at the beginning.
- Zen-DAY-a – Leaving off the last “uh” sound.
How do you correctly pronounce Zendaya’s full name?
The proper way to pronounce the actress’s full name is:
- Zen-DAY-uh Ma-REE Stoar-mer COLE-man
So her first name has the accent on the “day” syllable. Her middle name Maree is pronounced ma-REE. And her last name Stoermer Coleman has pronunciations close to how they are spelled.
What have people said about pronouncing her name wrong?
Zendaya has addressed the common mispronunciations of her name in interviews before. She understands that her name is unique and doesn’t get offended when people say it incorrectly the first time.
In a 2015 interview on the BET talk show Don’t Sleep, host T.J. Holmes pronounced her name Zen-die-AY. Zendaya politely corrected him with the proper zen-DAY-uh pronunciation. She said she was used to people mispronouncing it on the first try.
Zendaya has indicated that she appreciates when people make the effort to learn the right way to say her name after initially stumbling over it. It’s a sign of respect.
How do you pronounce other names associated with Zendaya?
In addition to learning how to properly pronounce Zendaya’s name, it’s helpful to know how to say the names of other people and characters closely associated with the actress and singer:
| Name | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| Tom Holland (actor who costars with Zendaya in Spider-Man films) | Tom HOL-land |
| Rue Bennett (Zendaya’s character on Euphoria) | Roo ben-NETT |
| Meechee (Zendaya’s character in Smallfoot animated film) | MEE-chee |
How to remember the zen-DAY-uh pronunciation
Since Zendaya’s name is uncommon, it can take some effort to train your brain to say it correctly each time. Here are some tips:
- Break it down – Say it slowly – zen-DAY-uh – to yourself, emphasizing the “day” part.
- Visualize it – Picture her name spelled out: Z-E-N-D-A-Y-A and remember the “DAY” in the middle.
- Repeat it – Practice saying her full name several times out loud.
- Relate it to a word – Associate it with the word “Tuesday” which also emphasizes “day.”
With a little time and practice, zen-DAY-uh will roll right off your tongue!
Origin of her unique stage name
As mentioned earlier, Zendaya was born Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman. So where did the now-famous single name Zendaya come from?
The actress has explained that “Zendaya” was a family nickname given to her by her mother and father. They shortened her first name as a term of endearment when she was a child.
As her entertainment career took off, she decided to use just the nickname Zendaya as her stage name and brand. It allowed her to go by one memorable word that was still rooted in her family background.
How Zendaya helped teach others to say her name
Over the years, Zendaya has leveraged her fame to educate people on how to properly say her first name. Here are some of the creative ways she spread awareness:
- The Zendaya Challenge – In 2015, she launched a social media challenge to get people making videos of themselves pronouncing her name correctly.
- TikTok duet – In 2020, she dueted a TikTok by a fan who recorded himself learning to say her name.
- Event name tags – She wore a name tag reading “Hi, my name is Zendaya” on the red carpet at a 2017 event.
Zendaya found playful ways to use social media and popular culture to share the right pronunciation. Her efforts helped familiarize millions with the cadence of her unique name.
Names of Zendaya’s parents and siblings
In Zendaya’s family, she is not the only one with a distinctive name that stands out. Here are the names of her mother, father, and siblings along with their pronunciations:
- Mother – Claire Stoermer (Claire STOOR-mer)
- Father – Kazembe Ajamu Coleman (kah-ZEM-bee ah-JAH-moo COLE-man)
- Sisters – Katianna and Annabella (kat-ee-AHN-ah and an-ah-BEL-ah)
You can see where Zendaya got her tendency for unique, memorable names from! Her parents also chose distinctive African-rooted names for themselves and their daughters.
How interviewers tackle saying her name
When Zendaya does major interviews on TV or for magazines, the reporters often acknowledge right away that they are careful to properly pronounce her name. It shows they have done their homework to get it right.
On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Colbert jumped right in introducing her as “guest Zen-DAY-uh” to show he knew the pronunciation. Other hosts like Jimmy Kimmel have gone out of their way to say “Zen-DAY-uh” very slowly and deliberately.
Print and online magazines like Vogue and Glamour will sometimes add phonetic spellings like “Zen-DAY-uh” in parentheses in articles about her so readers know how to pronounce the name.
So in the media, Zendaya’s name has become a point of pronunciation pride to demonstrate respect for the actress.
Fun facts about Zendaya’s background
Besides learning how to pronounce the star’s name, here are some quick interesting facts about where Zendaya came from:
- She grew up in Oakland, California as a child of the 1990s and 2000s.
- She began performing as a dancer and model starting at age 13.
- Her mom worked as a house manager at a California Shakespeare Theater.
- She went to a public performing arts high school in Oakland.
- She starred on the Disney Channel show Shake It Up as a teenager.
Zendaya worked hard over many years to evolve from a hometown girl into an A-list Hollywood celeb!
Why pronouncing her name properly matters
For many people with uncommon names, having others say their name correctly is important. Here are some key reasons:
- Respect – It shows you care enough to learn the right way.
- Identity – A name is a core part of someone’s identity.
- Meaning – The name may have personal significance for them.
- Effort – They had to put in effort to explain how to say it.
For Zendaya, having people say zen-DAY-uh correctly is a sign of admiration and appreciation for who she is.
Zendaya’s popularity helping share her name
As Zendaya has grown more famous through acting roles and music projects, more people are learning about her and how to say her name properly. Her level of popularity has helped with pronunciation awareness.
After winning Dancing with the Stars in 2015, she became more household name. After starring in Spider-Man movies starting in 2017, she gained a whole new fandom interested to learn her name.
And in 2020, her show Euphoria debuted on HBO fueling more interest. Millions of new people have become familiar with “zen-DAY-uh” through Zendaya’s recent rise to superstardom.
Conclusion
In summary, the proper way to pronounce actress Zendaya’s first name is zen-DAY-uh, putting the accent on the “day” syllable in the middle. It’s an unusual name that she inherited from family origins. While many stumble over it at first, Zendaya appreciates when people practice the correct zen-DAY-uh pronunciation as a sign of respect.
With her meteoric rise to fame in Hollywood, knowledge of her name pronunciation has spread far and wide. Getting her name right has become a way fans and admirers show Zendaya support! So next time you talk about the popular star, remember the key is Zen-DAY-uh.