Meaning and background
The story behind Machiavelli
Machiavelli is the Italian family name borne by Niccolò Machiavelli, the Renaissance diplomat and political writer born in Florence in 1469. His book *The Prince* shaped later debate about power and political realism. Calling a dog Machiavelli may therefore be a literary or historical reference, but the surname itself has not been shown by these sources to mean “scheming”. That impression comes from later interpretations of his work.
- Origin
- Italian surname associated with the Florentine statesman and writer Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527). Source
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About Machiavelli
Recorded as a dog’s name
Machiavelli appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2024 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
/mɑkiəvɛli/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Other dictionary readings and notation
/mɑkiəvɛli/ · primary stress on syllable 4M AA2 K IY0 AH0 V EH1 L IY0
/mɑkjəvɛli/ · primary stress on syllable 3M AA2 K Y AH0 V EH1 L IY0
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
Dictionary readings have 4 or 5 syllables.
- 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.