Meaning and background
The story behind Thurber
Thurber can honor American humorist and cartoonist James Thurber. His museum's biography identifies him as a writer, playwright, and journalist whose stories and drawings often appeared in The New Yorker. There is an especially relevant canine connection: the museum notes that dogs frequently appear in his drawings and lists The Dog That Bit People among his stories. This supports a literary tribute for a dog named Thurber, while leaving the surname's earlier derivation unresolved.
- Association
- James Thurber was an American humorist and cartoonist whose drawings often featured dogs and family life. Source
Try Thurber out loud
Everyday moments“Thurber, come here!”
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About Thurber
Recorded as a dog’s name
Thurber 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
/θɝbɚ/
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
/θɝbɚ/ · primary stress on syllable 1TH ER1 B ER0
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.