Meaning and background
The story behind Bran
Bran has a documented Irish meaning of raven and a legendary bearer in the mariner Bran mac Febail. Behind the Name connects his adventures with a search for the Otherworld. The site also separates a Welsh mythological use under another entry, so the Irish story should not stand for every Bran. For a dog, the bird connection is well grounded, while any particular literary or family inspiration remains an additional choice.
- Origin
- Irish Bran means raven; the entry associates Bran mac Febail with a legendary voyage to the Otherworld. Source
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Everyday moments“Bran, come here!”
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About Bran
Recorded as a dog’s name
Bran appears in 3 dog licence records in the 2022 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
/bɹæn/
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
/bɹæn/ · primary stress on syllable 1B R AE1 N
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.