Meaning and background
The story behind Graham
Graham is an established Scottish and English surname-derived first name. The surname is traced to Grantham in Lincolnshire, a place name usually interpreted as something like 'gravelly homestead', though historical references qualify that interpretation. It was carried into Scotland in the medieval period. Graham is often pronounced as one syllable in British speech, and it has a familiar everyday feel that differs from many less established surname-style pet names.
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Everyday moments“Graham, come here!”
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About Graham
Recorded as a dog’s name
Graham appears in 23 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
/ɡɹeɪəm/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
Other dictionary readings and notation
/ɡɹeɪəm/ · primary stress on syllable 1G R EY1 AH0 M
/ɡɹæm/ · primary stress on syllable 1G R AE1 M
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
Gender association: NYC licence-period records. Any dog can use this name.
Dictionary readings have 1 or 2 syllables.
- 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.