Meaning and background
The story behind Esmerelda
Esmerelda appears with this exact spelling in Terry Pratchett's Carpe Jugulum. An extract on the author's official website turns a royal baby's naming ceremony into a joke when the priest mistakenly includes the parents' spelling instruction in her name. This provides a distinctive Discworld association for readers choosing Esmerelda. The literary passage establishes that spelling in the story, without proving that its linguistic origin is identical to the differently spelled Esmeralda.
- Association
- Literary association with Esmerelda Margaret Note Spelling of Lancre in Terry Pratchett's Carpe Jugulum. Source
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About Esmerelda
Recorded as a dog’s name
Esmerelda appears in 5 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
/ɛsmɚɛldə/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the third syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/ɛsmɚɛldə/ · primary stress on syllable 3EH0 S M ER0 EH1 L D AH0
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.