Meaning and background
The story behind Raffles
Raffles has a Scottish place-based explanation in the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. One branch comes from Raffles in Dumfriesshire, interpreted through an Old Scandinavian formation referring to a fox hole, with a Scots plural ending. The entry also allows a later form of Raffle and leaves some historical Scottish spellings uncertain. The surname therefore has documented alternatives, rather than one unqualified meaning for every bearer.
- Origin
- Raffles has a Scottish place-based explanation in the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. Source
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About Raffles
Recorded as a dog’s name
Raffles appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2016 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
/ɹæfəlz/
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
/ɹæfəlz/ · primary stress on syllable 1R AE1 F AH0 L Z
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.