How to Pronounce Marisa Imôn

EDIT AS OF MAY 15, 2023: MY NAME IS PRONOUNCED mer-ISSA E-moan. I am keeping this blog post up but I've decided to go back to my birth name pronunciation. My parents changed the pronunciation when I was 7. But I've been undergoing massive changes the past year and no longer feel resonance with the Marisa I was from 7-37. Returning back to my childhood last name, while simultaneously returning to my free spirit childlike self feels perfect. And for comedy I am now going by the stage name Monk Imôn (pronounced Monkey Moan) partially becuase it sounds funny, but also because my childhood nickname that I wanted to continue with all my life but got "in trouble" for it in 4th grade and forced to drop it, was Monkey. And I'd like to honor that part of me.

Everything below this is from my past and no longer accurate, however since I was mer-ISSA EYE-min for a looong time, I'm keeping it up in honor of her:

EDIT AS OF MAY 15, 2023: I am keeping this blog post up but changing the way I pronounce it. This year I've decided to go back to my birth name, which I learned was Marisa Imôn pronounced mer-ISSA E-Moan.

Everything below this is from my past and no longer accurate, however since I was mer-ISSA EYE-min for a looong time, I'm keeping it up in honor of her:

I've heard it all:

Mer - Eye- Zah

Mer - Ease -Ah

I - Moan (<-- middle schoolers thought that one was hilarious)

E-Mon (Partially right ✅)

E-Moan (Also partially right✅)

But I pronounce my name: mer-ISSA EYE-min

My last name is made up.

My grandfather was a fashion designer who wanted his clothing brand to sound more French than his birth name, Hyman Goldfarb, did. He went with Imôn, and while he pronounced this name as E-moan, my parents didn't like how it sounded with their first names, so I was raised pronouncing it "I'M in."

Meanwhile my aunt and uncle pronounce it E-Mon. So, my entire family are the I'M-in's, E-mon's, and e-MOAN's. Basically, however you say it, you are likely saying it right according to someone in my family.

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I'm so proud of the history of my last name.

The fact that my grandfather was brave enough to create his own clothing line makes me feel like my entrepreneurial spirit is in my blood. I'm deeply proud of him for following his passion. He was colorblind, but made the most beautiful, colorful, detail oriented women's fashion I've ever seen. You want a dress with a giraffe on it? He'd *hand bead* a dress to give it a giraffe from the bottom of the dress to the top. He left no detail unnoticed. I don't know how he had the patience for that, but he truly was an artist.

While the entrepreneurial spirit and inner artist may have been passed down in my DNA, that insanely high level of patience got watered down a little along the way.😉

I love fun name histories. If you have one I'd love to heard about it in the comments below! 💌

Also, I'd love to hear how you thought my name was pronounced before I told you. 😅