Meaning and background
The story behind Priest
Priest is an English occupational and religious word, and it also survives as a hereditary surname. In surname history it need not mean that an ancestor was ordained: a byname could reflect someone who resembled a priest, acted one in a play or was associated with a priest's household. That distinction matters when evaluating a dog's name. The source establishes the English vocabulary and surname traditions, but not the faith or occupation of the animal's owner.
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About Priest
Recorded as a dog’s name
Priest appears in 4 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
/pɹist/
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
/pɹist/ · primary stress on syllable 1P R IY1 S T
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.