Meaning and background
The story behind Odysseus
Odysseus is the Greek mythological hero whose adventures form the centre of Homer's *Odyssey*. Although popular explanations translate the name as 'hated' or 'wrathful', its deeper linguistic origin is uncertain and may not be Greek at all. The mythological identification is secure; an exact ancient lexical meaning is not. That makes the literary reference a much stronger fact for a dog-name profile than a dramatic invented translation.
- Origin
- Ancient Greek mythological hero’s name, made famous by Homer’s Odyssey; ultimate linguistic origin uncertain. Source
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About Odysseus
Recorded as a dog’s name
Odysseus appears in 16 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
/oʊdɪsiəs/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the second syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/oʊdɪsiəs/ · primary stress on syllable 2OW0 D IH1 S IY0 AH0 S
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (3)
- 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
- City of Seattle Seattle Pet Licenses — DOG-only name aggregate, current source dated 6 October 2026 — Secondary spelling corroboration from dog-only licence rows. No cats, owner fields, national ranking or unique-dog claim.
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.