Meaning and background
The story behind Mala
Mala is a feminine name documented in Hindi usage, written माला. Its source is the Sanskrit word for a necklace or garland, a concrete object rather than a character trait. The same spelling also occurs in other languages with different meanings, so context matters if the pet was named after something else. When used in the Hindi name tradition, the final a is spoken rather than dropped as in some English words.
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Everyday moments“Mala, come here!”
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About Mala
Recorded as a dog’s name
Mala appears in 8 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
/mɑlə/
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
/mɑlə/ · primary stress on syllable 1M AA1 L AH0
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.