Meaning and background
The story behind Lion
Lion names the large social cat Panthera leo. Merriam-Webster also records figurative uses for someone considered courageous or exceptionally important, giving the word both animal and symbolic associations. A pet name may draw on a mane-like coat or an intentionally grand comparison. Those are modern interpretations of a documented English word, rather than proof that every dog called Lion has a particular temperament or an inherited name meaning.
- Association
- Lion names the large social cat Panthera leo. Source
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Everyday moments“Lion, come here!”
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About Lion
Recorded as a dog’s name
Lion appears in 5 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
/laɪən/
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
/laɪən/ · primary stress on syllable 1L AY1 AH0 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.