Meaning and background
The story behind Tulsa
Tulsa is the name of an Oklahoma city, and its older forms connect with Creek communities moved from Alabama. Tulsa City-County Library traces it cautiously to *Tallasi*, probably linked to an expression meaning 'old town'. That is a place-name interpretation with an Indigenous linguistic history, not proof of the intended meaning for every pet called Tulsa. The library itself qualifies the reconstruction.
- Origin
- Oklahoma place name linked to a Creek settlement name Tallasi, probably associated with “old town”. Source
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About Tulsa
Recorded as a dog’s name
Tulsa 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
/tʌlsə/
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
/tʌlsə/ · primary stress on syllable 1T AH1 L S 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.