Dog name guide

Philo

The meaning, background and naming story of Philo.

Letters
5
Syllables
2Dictionary reading
Starts with
P

Meaning and background

The story behind Philo

Philo is a classical name from Greek Philon, related to philos, a word for a friend or loved one. It was borne by Philo of Alexandria, the ancient philosopher. The compact form has a clear two-syllable cadence in English and a genuine onomastic history, rather than a newly invented translation fitted to a pet name.

Meaning
From Greek Philon, built on philos, meaning "friend" or "lover". Source
Origin
Ancient Greek name, transmitted through a Latinised form. Source

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About Philo

Recorded as a dog’s name

Philo appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2026 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.

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Pronunciation and rhythm

/filoʊ/

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

/filoʊ/ · primary stress on syllable 1
F IY1 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.

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Suggestions by sound, written form or existing editorial selections. Similarity does not imply a shared origin.

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