Meaning and background
The story behind Sarafina
Sarafina is the name of Nala’s mother in the 1994 animated film The Lion King. A longstanding film archive documents the character and her original voice performer. Its FAQ lists a proposed “bright star” explanation with a visible uncertainty marker, so that should not be presented as a settled Swahili etymology. The similar European name Serafina has its own documented history, but a derivation linking the spellings has not been proved.
- Origin
- Documented cultural association: Sarafina, Nala’s mother in the 1994 film The Lion King. Source
Try Sarafina out loud
Everyday moments“Sarafina, come here!”
Say it as you would on a walk or at home. Does it feel natural alongside your usual commands and other pets’ names?
About Sarafina
Recorded as a dog’s name
Sarafina appears in 3 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
/sæɹəfinə/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the third syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/sæɹəfinə/ · primary stress on syllable 3S AE2 R AH0 F IY1 N AH0
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
Compare your favourites
Put Sarafina beside another name before you decide.
Explore names like Sarafina
Narrow the finder by the features you want to keep.
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.