Meaning and background
The story behind Shrek
Shrek is strongly associated with the green ogre of the books and animated films. The character’s name also has a linguistic connection: a Yiddish word meaning fright or terror. These are different layers of its history, and neither should be turned into a claim about a dog’s temperament. The distinctive one-syllable sound is easily recognised.
- Origin
- Associated with the ogre character Shrek; the word is related to Yiddish “shrek”, meaning fright or terror. Source
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Everyday moments“Shrek, come here!”
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About Shrek
Recorded as a dog’s name
Shrek appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2026 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
/ʃɹɛk/
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
/ʃɹɛk/ · primary stress on syllable 1SH R EH1 K
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.