Dog name guide

Smokey

The meaning, background and naming story of Smokey.

Letters
6
Syllables
2Dictionary reading
Starts with
S
Gender association
More often maleNYC licensing sample

Meaning and background

The story behind Smokey

Smokey is an accepted alternative spelling of the English adjective smoky, which means smoke-filled, smoke-producing or resembling smoke. It is easy to connect the name with misty grey colours, but no source proves that this is every owner’s intention. The familiar two-beat sound and the spelling with “ey” distinguish it from the standard form Smoky.

Meaning
Alternative spelling of “smoky”: emitting, filled with or resembling smoke. Source

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Everyday moments

“Smokey, come here!”

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About Smokey

Recorded as a dog’s name

Smokey appears in 71 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.

View the source dataset

Pronunciation and rhythm

/smoʊki/

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

/smoʊki/ · primary stress on syllable 1
S M OW1 K IY0

These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.

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In NameKennel collections

Editorial selections, not evidence of linguistic origin, suitability or popularity.

Sources and research notes (2)

Gender association: NYC licence-period records. Any dog can use this name.

References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.

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