Meaning and background
The story behind Dorian
Dorian has a striking literary history. Behind the Name traces the given name to Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, published in 1891, and says Wilde may have drawn on the ancient Greek Dorians. The Greek link is therefore a hypothesis rather than a proven translation. As a dog name it sounds classical and has a clear three-syllable English pronunciation, but the literary association is firmer than any claimed hidden meaning.
- Origin
- Literary English given name appearing in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891); possible Dorian Greek inspiration Source
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About Dorian
Recorded as a dog’s name
Dorian appears in 6 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
/dɔɹiən/
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
/dɔɹiən/ · primary stress on syllable 1D AO1 R IY0 AH0 N
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.