Meaning and background
The story behind Waverly
Waverly is used as a given name from the rarer English surname Waverley, connected with a place in Surrey. A proposed Old English derivation involves words for something wavering or flickering and a woodland clearing, but the source explicitly labels that explanation possible, not certain. Walter Scott's 1814 novel Waverley helped make the spelling culturally recognisable. Its three syllables distinguish it from Wave.
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About Waverly
Recorded as a dog’s name
Waverly appears in 12 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
/weɪvɚli/
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
/weɪvɚli/ · primary stress on syllable 1W EY1 V ER0 L IY0
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.