Meaning and background
The story behind Hennessy
Hennessy is an Irish surname rather than a modern English word. The Dictionary of American Family Names traces it to the Gaelic family name Ó hAonghusa, meaning 'descendant of Aonghus'. That explains the patronymic surname; it does not establish a single certain translation of the older personal name Aonghus. Its three syllables and distinctive ending make it recognisable when spoken, but the family history deserves a more precise explanation than a personality label.
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About Hennessy
Recorded as a dog’s name
Hennessy appears in 16 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
/hɛnəsi/
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
/hɛnəsi/ · primary stress on syllable 1HH EH1 N AH0 S IY0
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.