Meaning and background
The story behind Duval
Duval has a well-documented valley connection in several French-derived surname traditions. The dictionary combines val with du, giving a topographic description or identifying someone from a place called Le Val. It records the surname in French, Walloon, Breton, Haitian, and other settings, while allowing a separate English personal-name explanation. The valley gloss is therefore a strong historical route, with the additional possibility kept distinct instead of being silently discarded.
- Origin
- Duval usually involves French val, valley, with du, from the, as a topographic or habitational surname; a separate English possibility involves Dūfe. Source
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About Duval
Recorded as a dog’s name
Duval appears in 2 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
/duvæl/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the second syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/duvæl/ · primary stress on syllable 2D UW0 V AE1 L
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.