Meaning and background
The story behind Hepburn
Hepburn is an established English and Scottish surname associated with several northern British place-names. The Dictionary of American Family Names connects those places with Old English components commonly explained as 'high' and 'burial mound'. Modern audiences may think of actors Katharine or Audrey Hepburn, but those are surname associations, not the source of the word. A two-syllable call name can carry this history without claiming a false woodland meaning.
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About Hepburn
Recorded as a dog’s name
Hepburn appears in 7 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
/hɛpbɚn/
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
/hɛpbɚn/ · primary stress on syllable 1HH EH1 P B ER0 N
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.