Dog name guide

Terrence

The meaning, background and naming story of Terrence.

Letters
8
Syllables
2Dictionary reading
Starts with
T

Meaning and background

The story behind Terrence

Terrence is another established English variant of Terence, alongside Terrance. The route leads back to the Roman family name Terentius, but published onomastic references do not give it one secure word meaning. Its paired r distinguishes the spelling on a name tag without creating a separate etymology. The customary short form Terry belongs to the same group.

Origin
English variant of Terence, ultimately from the Roman family name Terentius; original meaning uncertain. Source

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About Terrence

Recorded as a dog’s name

Terrence 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.

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Pronunciation and rhythm

/tɛɹəns/

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

/tɛɹəns/ · primary stress on syllable 1
T EH1 R AH0 N S

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.

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