How Do You Say-Zoo “ZaSu”?

zasu pitts, say zoo, pronunciationComic actress ZaSu Pitts may be best remembered these days for her curious name.

How was it pronounced? Say-zoo.

This pronunciation may seem illogical given the placement of the consonants, and yet it’s what ZaSu herself said in her cookbook Candy Hits published in 1963 (the year she passed away).

The name ZaSu was invented by her mother. It was based upon the names of Zasu’s maternal aunts Eliza and Susan.

Many sources claim that ZaSu’s birth name was actually “Eliza Susan,” but all the records I’ve seen (going back to the 1900 U.S. Census) call her “Zasu” — or something pretty close. This makes me think that ZaSu wasn’t merely a nickname, but her actual legal name.

When she was a child, her peers (predictably) teased her about her unusual name, calling her things like “Zoo-Zoo,” “Zoo-Loo,” “Zay-Zoo,” “Jazz-Su,” “Hey You,” and “ZuZu Gingersnaps.”

Incidentally, her daughter (b. 1922) was legally named “ZaSu Ann,” but always called Ann.

Source: Stumpf, Charles. ZaSu Pitts: The Life and Career. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 2010.

[Other posts about pronunciation: Risë, Ove, Jacqueline.]

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