Meaning and background
The story behind Cobra
Cobra refers to the snake, with the English word shortened from a Portuguese expression describing its hood. The earlier Latin snake word has an uncertain deeper origin, so a further confident translation would be misleading. For a dog, the name can offer a striking wildlife image or a personal reference chosen by the owner. It does not establish aggression or danger. Consider whether that strong animal association is what you want people to recognise, rather than treating the name as a behavioural description.
- Origin
- English snake word shortened from a Portuguese expression referring to a hooded serpent. Source
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Everyday moments“Cobra, come here!”
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About Cobra
Recorded as a dog’s name
Cobra appears in 4 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
/koʊbɹə/
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
/koʊbɹə/ · primary stress on syllable 1K OW1 B R AH0
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.