Meaning and background
The story behind Hilo
Hilo is the name of a city and district on Hawaiʻi, but it is also a Hawaiian word with several senses. The Pukui–Elbert dictionary includes twisting or braiding and the first night of the new moon; the locality may have been named for that lunar night or for a Polynesian navigator. Its two-syllable form is memorable, but the competing place-name explanations should remain separate.
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About Hilo
Recorded as a dog’s name
Hilo appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2024 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
/hiloʊ/
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
/hiloʊ/ · primary stress on syllable 1HH IY1 L OW0
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.