METAIRIE, LA. – New Orleans Saints running back Travis Etienne has decided to clarify the pronunciation of his last name. Etienne, originally from Jennings, Louisiana, revealed that during his childhood his last name was pronounced as “Achane”. Upon entering Clemson in 2017, he found himself constantly correcting those who pronounced his last name as “ETN”. Eventually, Etienne opted to accept the alternative pronunciation, tired of the constant corrections.
Etienne is excited to reconnect with his roots after signing with the Saints this week. The deal with the Saints is for four years and $52 million, after having played five seasons for the Jacksonville Jaguars. “I’m very open to being Travis [Achane] again, just being myself,” Etienne stated. “I don’t have to correct people here on how to say my name every day. And I love that. Just being myself.”“Growing up, it was Travis [Achane]. A-C-H-A-N-E. That’s how they always said it, Travis [Achane]. But when I went to college, I told them my name, every day, every day, every day. After about four weeks, they just couldn’t get it. So I thought, ‘Man, it’s [ETN]. How you see it, you say it.’ That’s how it became, and it kind of took off because it was easier for the commentators to say, I didn’t have to correct them every day [about] how to say my name. Just when I started learning more about my last name and how it came about… it just kind of stuck, it made sense.”
Travis Etienne
