Meaning and background
The story behind Rasputin
Rasputin has a documented historical association with Grigori Rasputin, the Russian mystic connected with the court of Nicholas II in Collins’s biographical entry. Collins also records a figurative English use for someone exercising powerful, insidious influence. That darker secondary sense is part of the spelling’s cultural baggage. The dictionary evidence establishes namesake and word associations, without settling disputed explanations of the older Russian surname.
- Association
- Rasputin has a documented historical association with Grigori Rasputin, the Russian mystic connected with the court of Nicholas II in Collins’s biographical entry. Source
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About Rasputin
Recorded as a dog’s name
Rasputin appears in 6 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
/ɹəspjutɪn/
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
/ɹəspjutɪn/ · primary stress on syllable 2R AH0 S P Y UW1 T IH0 N
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.