Meaning and background
The story behind Icarus
Icarus has a familiar myth but an unresolved literal meaning. Behind the Name identifies the Latinized form of Greek Ikaros and explicitly leaves its meaning unknown. The story of Daedalus’s son escaping with wings and flying too near the sun is therefore an association, not a translation of the name. A dog’s Icarus can honour that classical reference without being assigned an invented meaning such as freedom or flight.
- Origin
- Icarus is a Latinized form of Greek Ikaros, whose meaning is unknown; the mythological bearer escaped with wax-built wings. Source
Try Icarus out loud
Everyday moments“Icarus, come here!”
Say it as you would on a walk or at home. Does it feel natural alongside your usual commands and other pets’ names?
About Icarus
Recorded as a dog’s name
Icarus appears in 3 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
/ɪkɝəs/
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
/ɪkɝəs/ · primary stress on syllable 1IH1 K ER2 AH0 S
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
Compare your favourites
Put Icarus beside another name before you decide.
Explore names like Icarus
Narrow the finder by the features you want to keep.
Sources and research notes (3)
- 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
- City of Seattle Seattle Pet Licenses — DOG-only name aggregate, current source dated 6 October 2026 — Secondary spelling corroboration from dog-only licence rows. No cats, owner fields, national ranking or unique-dog claim.
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.