Meaning and background
The story behind Master
Master is a long-established English noun with meanings involving authority, skill and control. It can refer to a person in charge or someone exceptionally competent at an activity; those senses have different social contexts. Chosen for a dog, it can create an ironic reversal of who is in charge. That is a joke about the English word, not a historically attested meaning specific to canine names.
- Meaning
- A person in authority over others; also a person skilled or expert in a subject. Source
Try Master out loud
Everyday moments“Master, come here!”
Say it as you would on a walk or at home. Does it feel natural alongside your usual commands and other pets’ names?
About Master
Recorded as a dog’s name
Master appears in 14 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
/mæstɚ/
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
/mæstɚ/ · primary stress on syllable 1M AE1 S T ER0
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
Compare your favourites
Put Master beside another name before you decide.
Explore names like Master
Narrow the finder by the features you want to keep.
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.