Dog name guide

Shasta

The meaning, background and naming story of Shasta.

Letters
6
Syllables
2Dictionary reading
Starts with
S

Meaning and background

The story behind Shasta

Shasta is attached to a prominent mountain in northern California and to regional Indigenous history. Early nineteenth-century written forms include Sastise and related spellings, but historians disagree about which peak explorers originally named. That makes modern one-line translations suspect. A name profile can securely identify the California place-name association while keeping the precise deeper derivation unresolved.

Origin
California geographic name associated with Mount Shasta and historic Native American tribal names; early spelling and geographic transfer are disputed. Source

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About Shasta

Recorded as a dog’s name

Shasta appears in 8 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.

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Pronunciation and rhythm

/ʃæstə/

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

/ʃæstə/ · primary stress on syllable 1
SH AE1 S T AH0

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.

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