Meaning and background
The story behind Barak
Barak carries two genuine but separate linguistic histories. In Hebrew it means “lightning” and appears as the name of a military leader in the Book of Judges. Arabic Barak is instead associated with blessing through a different root. The plain English spelling is not enough to select between those traditions, so neither translation should be advertised as universal. It is a short, two-syllable name in common English use.
- Origin
- May represent Hebrew בָּרָק (Barak, “lightning”) or an unrelated Arabic Barak linked to baraka (“blessing”); the original script decides. Source
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About Barak
Recorded as a dog’s name
Barak appears in 3 dog licence records in the 2017 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/bɑɹək/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/bɑɹək/ · primary stress on syllable 1B AA1 R AH0 K
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.