Meaning and background
The story behind Dobbie
Dobbie has a documented Scottish family-name history, deriving from Dob, a familiar medieval form of Robert. Separately, the spelling dobbie or dobby has been used in English folklore for a household sprite. Those are related through an old nickname, but they should not be collapsed into the same literal personal-name meaning. Dobbie also has the rounded, friendly two-syllable sound of an everyday call name, without needing a claimed magical origin for a particular dog.
- Origin
- Scottish surname from the pet name Dob (Robert); also an English folkloric noun for a household sprite Source
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About Dobbie
Recorded as a dog’s name
Dobbie appears in 3 dog licence records in the 2016 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
/dɑbi/
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
/dɑbi/ · primary stress on syllable 1D AA1 B 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 — 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.