Meaning and background
The story behind Dewey
Dewey is a recognisable English given name, and naming references say it is probably a variant of Welsh Dewi. Dewi is associated with Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, though even the older Welsh pathway is presented with some caution. The word dew may influence how English readers hear the spelling, but the name should not be confidently translated as morning moisture. Two pronunciations, with and without a y sound, are attested.
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About Dewey
Recorded as a dog’s name
Dewey appears in 9 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
/dui/
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
/dui/ · primary stress on syllable 1D UW1 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.