Meaning and background
The story behind Raoul
Raoul has a French and Breton surname history through the French personal name. The dictionary traces that name to an older Germanic compound involving counsel and wolf elements, and notes a concentration in Brittany. Those elements belong to a historical personal name rather than a description of every modern bearer. For a dog, Raoul can honor a person or family without treating the wolf association as a claim about ancestry or temperament.
- Origin
- French and Breton surname from Raoul, an older Germanic counsel-and-wolf personal name. Source
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Everyday moments“Raoul, come here!”
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About Raoul
Recorded as a dog’s name
Raoul appears in 2 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
/ɹɑul/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the second syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/ɹɑul/ · primary stress on syllable 2R AA0 UW1 L
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.