Dog name guide

Goulash

The meaning, background and naming story of Goulash.

Letters
7
Syllables
2Dictionary reading
Starts with
G

Meaning and background

The story behind Goulash

Goulash is a food word borrowed from Hungarian. Its historical form refers to the food of cattle herdsmen, with gulyás meaning 'herdsman' and hús meaning 'meat'. Although English speakers often think of a hearty stew, the original Hungarian dish also includes a soup tradition. As a dog name, Goulash is a humorous culinary choice with a traceable linguistic history, rather than a literal translation for a plump or hungry animal.

Meaning
A Hungarian-style meat soup or stew, familiar as an English food word. Source
Origin
English borrowing from Hungarian gulyáshús, formed from gulyás “herdsman” and hús “meat”. Source

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About Goulash

Recorded as a dog’s name

Goulash 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.

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Pronunciation and rhythm

/ɡulɑʃ/

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

/ɡulɑʃ/ · primary stress on syllable 1
G UW1 L AA2 SH

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.

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