Meaning and background
The story behind Raiko
Raiko has a documented Japanese historical-and-legendary association. The British Museum explicitly identifies Raiko with Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the warrior remembered in stories about the demon leader Shuten Doji. Its account appears with an ivory carving connected to those legends and the warrior's retainers. That provides a concrete cultural reference for a dog name. The museum's identification is stronger evidence than a guessed translation, but it does not establish one meaning for every modern name spelled Raiko.
- Association
- The British Museum identifies Raiko as Minamoto no Yorimitsu, the warrior associated with legends about Shuten Doji. Source
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About Raiko
Recorded as a dog’s name
Raiko appears in 1 dog licence record in the 2023 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
/ɹeɪkoʊ/
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
/ɹeɪkoʊ/ · primary stress on syllable 1R EY1 K OW0
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.