Dog name guide

Porky

The meaning, background and naming story of Porky.

Letters
5
Syllables
2Dictionary reading
Starts with
P

Meaning and background

The story behind Porky

Porky can mean 'like pork' in ordinary English and can also be an informal, sometimes unkind, word for a person’s weight. In British slang, 'a porky' is also a lie, shortened from rhyming slang pork pie. Those different uses explain why a literal personality description would be misleading for a dog. Its two-syllable rhyme with other nicknames is more reliable than any claim about the animal’s size.

Meaning
English adjective relating to pork; informally overweight, and British slang noun for a lie. Source
Origin
English pork + -y in adjectival use; the lie sense derives from rhyming slang pork pie. Source

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About Porky

Recorded as a dog’s name

Porky appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2024 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

/pɔɹki/

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

/pɔɹki/ · primary stress on syllable 1
P AO1 R K IY0

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.

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