Meaning and background
The story behind Otello
Otello is the Italian form of Othello. The spelling is particularly familiar through Giuseppe Verdi's opera, first performed in Milan in 1887 and based on Shakespeare's tragedy. The literary connection is secure; an older literal explanation of the character's name is much less so. A dog called Otello therefore borrows a recognisable cultural name rather than an established Italian word meaning.
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About Otello
Recorded as a dog’s name
Otello appears in 3 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
/oʊtɛloʊ/
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
/oʊtɛloʊ/ · primary stress on syllable 2OW0 T EH1 L OW0
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.