Meaning and background
The story behind Bully
Bully has a striking change of meaning in its English history. An older affectionate use preceded the now-familiar intimidating-person sense, and the word's earliest origin remains uncertain. That history should not be used to pretend the modern negative association disappears. An owner choosing it as a nickname may have a private or breed-related reason, but neither proves an individual dog's behaviour. Think about how the name will be heard by people meeting the dog for the first time, alongside the intention you personally attach to it.
- Meaning
- The English word developed from an older affectionate use to a person who intimidates or harasses weaker people. Source
Try Bully out loud
Everyday moments“Bully, come here!”
Say it as you would on a walk or at home. Does it feel natural alongside your usual commands and other pets’ names?
About Bully
Recorded as a dog’s name
Bully appears in 10 dog licence records in the 2026 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
/bʊli/
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
/bʊli/ · primary stress on syllable 1B UH1 L IY0
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 — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- 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.