Meaning and background
The story behind Crespo
Crespo is a Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian surname historically used as a nickname for someone with curly hair. The dictionary links the word to Latin crispus. It also describes Sephardic Jewish families retaining the name after a history of conversion and later return to Judaism. The hair description gives a clear linguistic association, while that additional family history shows why appearance alone cannot explain every later bearer’s surname.
- Origin
- Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian surname meaning “curly-haired,” also recorded in Sephardic Jewish family history. Source
Try Crespo out loud
Everyday moments“Crespo, 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 Crespo
Recorded as a dog’s name
Crespo 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
/kɹɛspoʊ/
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
/kɹɛspoʊ/ · primary stress on syllable 1K R EH1 S P OW0
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
Compare your favourites
Put Crespo beside another name before you decide.
Explore names like Crespo
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 — 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.