Meaning and background
The story behind Spinella
Spinella is a southern Italian surname identified as a diminutive of Spina. The linked Spina entry traces that name to the Italian word for thorn or thorn bush, with nickname, personal-name and place-name uses. Some Spina examples may also shorten Malaspina. That range is worth preserving: Spinella has a documented thorn-related name family, but the exact path for a particular family cannot be read from the diminutive ending alone.
- Origin
- Southern Italian diminutive of Spina, a surname with thorn or thorn-bush nickname, personal-name and place-name routes. Source · Source 2
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About Spinella
Recorded as a dog’s name
Spinella 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
/spɪnɛlə/
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
/spɪnɛlə/ · primary stress on syllable 2S P IH0 N EH1 L AH0
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.