Meaning and background
The story behind Les
Les is a familiar English short form of either Leslie or Lester, not a separate old word with one secure translation. Those longer names have unrelated geographical histories, which is why Les should not automatically be glossed as a particular place name. Its one syllable is easy to call, and both a final s and a voiced z sound are recorded. The intended full form, if there is one, determines any deeper name derivation.
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Everyday moments“Les, come here!”
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About Les
Recorded as a dog’s name
Les 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
/lɛs/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the first syllable in the recorded US readings.
Other dictionary readings and notation
/lɛs/ · primary stress on syllable 1L EH1 S
/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.