Meaning and background
The story behind Mcnamara
McNamara is a surname of Irish and Manx Gaelic ancestry, formed from Mac Conmara. The older personal name Cú Mhara combines words for hound and sea, making this one of the rare established family names with a canine word in its linguistic background. That does not mean the modern surname is a direct description of a dog. Its four beats make it a fuller, more formal-sounding pet name.
- Origin
- Irish and Manx surname from Gaelic Mac Conmara, based on the personal name Cú Mhara, formed from cú (“hound”) and mara (“sea”). Source
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About Mcnamara
Recorded as a dog’s name
Mcnamara appears in 4 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
/mæknəmɛɹə/
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
/mæknəmɛɹə/ · primary stress on syllable 1M AE1 K N AH0 M EH2 R 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 — 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.