Cynthia Erivo reveals how to actually pronounce her seven real names

17 June 2025, 16:51

By Sam Prance

Cynthia Erivo opened up about the meaning behind her full name in a brand new interview.

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You know Cynthia Erivo but do you know her full name? Cynthia has just opened up about all seven of her real names.

Cynthia Erivo is one of the most prolific actors of her generation. After initially rising to fame on the West End, Cynthia then went on to win a Tony for her performance in The Color Purple on Broadway and she's since appeared in major films like Widows and Harriet. Oh and you may have recently seen her in a little known project named Wicked.

However, while you may recognise Cynthia's face and voice, it's possible that you don't know what her full name is.

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In a new interview with Zach Sang, Cynthia was asked to say her pronounce her full name. Not realising that he meant her seven names, Cynthia said: "Cynthia Erivo" and added: "You have no idea how many times people mispronounce the Erivo in my name." Phonetically, Erivo is pronounced "eh-REE-voh".

When Zach pushed, Cynthia to say all of her given names, she then said: "It's Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo but there's a confirmation name, Perpetua, in there as well."

Cynthia then explained that they're all related to her Nigerian heritage: "They're all Igbo-Nigerian names and I really only know the translation for two of them because my memory is the worst." Both of Cynthia's parents are Nigerian immigrants who moved to the UK after the Nigerian Civil War.

Cynthia added: "My mother gave me Chinasaokwu which is 'God is always watching'. Onyedinmanasu is hard to translate but is 'If you look forward, it doesn't matter what people are saying behind you."

She ended by saying: "What is in front of you is for you."

Cynthia Erivo teaches us how to pronounce her real name

Cynthia also said that she named her production company Edith's Daughter after her mother Edith. As for what she wants to achieve with her company, Cynthia revealed: "I rarely see a face like mine in the lead. The more I get this company going, the less I want to be in these things. I want it to be a place where new talent can really thrive."