Dog name guide

Hermes

The meaning, background and naming story of Hermes.

Letters
6
Syllables
2Dictionary reading
Starts with
H
Gender association
More often maleNYC licensing sample

Meaning and background

The story behind Hermes

Hermes is the ancient Greek name of the god who served as messenger to the other Olympians and was associated with travellers, trade and several other domains. His responsibilities are mythological associations, not a verified literal translation of his name. One proposed derivation involves Greek herma, a stone heap or boundary marker; another analysis treats the name as pre-Greek. In British English it is normally HUR-meez, two syllables.

Origin
Ancient Greek mythological name of Hermes, messenger of the gods; the linguistic root may be Greek herma or pre-Greek. Source
Pronunciation
British English /ˈhɜː.miːz/. Source

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About Hermes

Recorded as a dog’s name

Hermes 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.

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Pronunciation and rhythm

/hɝmiz/

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

/hɝmiz/ · primary stress on syllable 1
HH ER1 M IY0 Z

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.

References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.

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