Meaning and background
The story behind Khan
Khan comes from a status title associated with rulership. The Dictionary of American Family Names connects it with Mongolian khaan and explains its later wide use as a surname in Muslim communities, as well as honorific use in Iran and parts of the Indian subcontinent. The history therefore spans title and family name. A modern bearer of Khan should not be assumed to descend from one particular historical ruler.
- Origin
- Surname from a status title connected with Mongolian khaan, ruler or sovereign; also used as an honorific. Source
Try Khan out loud
Everyday moments“Khan, come here!”
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About Khan
Recorded as a dog’s name
Khan appears in 3 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.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/kɑn/
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
/kɑn/ · primary stress on syllable 1K AA1 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 — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- 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.