Meaning and background
The story behind Lei
Lei has distinct meanings in different languages. Hawaiian lei most famously refers to a garland or wreath of flowers and other materials; a traditional dictionary also records affectionate use for a cherished child. In Chinese personal names, Lei can represent characters such as 磊, associated with piled stones, or 蕾, a flower bud. Without the original language and written characters, choosing just one translation would erase real alternatives.
- Origin
- Independently a Hawaiian word-derived personal name and a Chinese given-name romanisation with multiple possible characters. Source
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Everyday moments“Lei, come here!”
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About Lei
Recorded as a dog’s name
Lei 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
/leɪ/
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
/leɪ/ · primary stress on syllable 1L EY1
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.