Meaning and background
The story behind Missouri
Missouri has geographic and surname contexts. Merriam-Webster records the central U.S. state and the long river joining the Mississippi, while the surname dictionary records African American adoption of the state's name. A dog may commemorate a home or journey through that spelling. The specific household connection remains separate from the surname's history, and the evidence does not establish an additional literal personal-name meaning.
- Origin
- Geographic association with the U.S. state or river; also recorded as an adopted African American surname. Source · Source 2
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Everyday moments“Missouri, come here!”
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About Missouri
Recorded as a dog’s name
Missouri appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2018 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
/məzʊɹi/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the second syllable in the recorded US readings.
Other dictionary readings and notation
/məzʊɹi/ · primary stress on syllable 2M AH0 Z UH1 R IY0
/məzɝə/ · primary stress on syllable 2M AH0 Z ER1 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.