Meaning and background
The story behind Ithaca
Ithaca has two geographic references in Merriam-Webster: the New York city on Cayuga Lake and the Greek island in the Ionian group, also given as Itháki. A dog named Ithaca may recall either place, so the intended location belongs in the naming story. The source supports those geographic associations; it does not by itself establish a particular literary reference or personal-name meaning.
- Association
- Place-name association with the city on Cayuga Lake or the Greek Ionian island. Source
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About Ithaca
Recorded as a dog’s name
Ithaca appears in 2 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
/ɪθəkə/
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
/ɪθəkə/ · primary stress on syllable 1IH1 TH AH0 K AH0
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.