Meaning and background
The story behind Leal
Leal is an established English, Spanish and Portuguese family surname. The Dictionary of American Family Names derives it from a nickname for someone regarded as loyal or trustworthy, using Old French leial or Spanish and Portuguese leal. The underlying adjective means faithful to obligations; it is not a Gaelic or fantasy name. The surname’s history is supported, although how a particular owner came to use it for a dog cannot be inferred.
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About Leal
Recorded as a dog’s name
Leal appears in 4 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
/lil/
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
/lil/ · primary stress on syllable 1L IY1 L
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.