Meaning and background
The story behind Hawaii
Hawaii is a geographical name for the Pacific island group and American state. The Hawaiian spelling Hawaiʻi includes an ʻokina, a character that should not simply be erased when discussing the original language. The Library of Congress records a traditional account involving the legendary Hawaiʻiloa, but that account is not a certain etymological translation. It is safer to identify the place and distinguish cultural tradition from proven word meaning.
- Origin
- Geographical name of the Hawaiian island group and US state; the Hawaiian form is Hawaiʻi. Source
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About Hawaii
Recorded as a dog’s name
Hawaii 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.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/həwaɪi/
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
/həwaɪi/ · primary stress on syllable 2HH AH0 W AY1 IY2
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.