Meaning and background
The story behind Elphie
Elphie is the youthful Elphaba in Gregory Maguire’s Elphie: A Wicked Childhood. The author’s own description places the story before the powers and events familiar from Wicked, following the future Wicked Witch of the West. His audiobook page also identifies a narration by Cynthia Erivo. A dog owner can choose Elphie as a literary tribute or a memory of listening to that version. This is a documented fictional short form in Maguire’s work, rather than evidence that all similarly spelled personal names share its history.
- Association
- Young Elphaba in Gregory Maguire’s Elphie: A Wicked Childhood, before the events of Wicked. Source · Source 2
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About Elphie
Recorded as a dog’s name
Elphie appears in 3 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.
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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.
- City of Seattle Seattle Pet Licenses — DOG-only name aggregate, current source dated 6 October 2026 — Secondary spelling corroboration from dog-only licence rows. No cats, owner fields, national ranking or unique-dog claim.
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.