Dog name guide

Lestat

The meaning, background and naming story of Lestat.

Letters
6
Syllables
2Dictionary reading
Starts with
L

Meaning and background

The story behind Lestat

Lestat is most closely associated with Lestat de Lioncourt, a fictional vampire introduced in Anne Rice’s 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire. The character name’s deeper formation is uncertain, with proposed links to a French-looking expression and to Rice’s husband Stan. Those explanations should not be presented as proven historical translations. The certain fact is its modern literary provenance, which sets it apart from traditional European given names.

Origin
Literary name used for Lestat de Lioncourt in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, first appearing in 1976; etymology uncertain. Source
Pronunciation
luh-STAT (/ləˈstæt/) in English. Source

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About Lestat

Recorded as a dog’s name

Lestat appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2016 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.

View the source dataset

Pronunciation and rhythm

/lɛstæt/

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

/lɛstæt/ · primary stress on syllable 1
L EH1 S T AE2 T

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.

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