Meaning and background
The story behind Coraline
Coraline has a literary history that predates the modern novel. The reference records a character in Adolphe Adam's 1849 opera Le Toréador, with a possible link to Coralie, and a later independent use by Neil Gaiman. Gaiman's version began as a mistyping of Caroline, according to the account. French and English readings also differ at the ending. Choosing Coraline for a dog therefore invites a specific story: an opera connection, the later heroine, or simply the sound, rather than one unquestioned literal meaning.
- Origin
- Literary name documented in Adam’s Le Toréador and later Gaiman’s Coraline; their creation accounts differ. Source
Try Coraline out loud
Everyday moments“Coraline, 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 Coraline
Recorded as a dog’s name
Coraline appears in 4 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
/kɔɹəlaɪn/
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
/kɔɹəlaɪn/ · primary stress on syllable 1K AO1 R AH0 L AY2 N
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
Compare your favourites
Put Coraline beside another name before you decide.
Explore names like Coraline
Narrow the finder by the features you want to keep.
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.