Meaning and background
The story behind Godiva
Godiva is a Latinised form of the Old English woman's name Godgifu, built from words for God and gift. Its most famous bearer is the eleventh-century noblewoman associated with Coventry; the celebrated naked ride is a legend, not established fact. The name's three syllables and recognisable historical reference set it apart from recently coined dog names, while its medieval meaning is documented rather than guessed.
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About Godiva
Recorded as a dog’s name
Godiva appears in 4 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.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/ɡədaɪvə/
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
/ɡədaɪvə/ · primary stress on syllable 2G AH0 D AY1 V 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 — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- 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.