Meaning and background
The story behind Theseus
Theseus is the name of the legendary Athenian hero associated with the Minotaur and the Cretan labyrinth. Scholars have proposed a link to a Greek verb meaning “to place”, but name references qualify that as possible rather than certain. The mythology is clear; a tidy literal etymology is not. The unusual ending gives a classical tone.
- Origin
- Ancient Greek mythological personal name of uncertain etymology; possibly connected with a verb meaning “to set, place”. Source
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About Theseus
Recorded as a dog’s name
Theseus appears in 2 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
/θiziəs/
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
/θiziəs/ · primary stress on syllable 1TH IY1 Z IY2 AH0 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.