Meaning and background
The story behind Willard
Willard entered English given-name use through a surname derived from the old Germanic Willihard or its Old English cognate Wilheard. These are personal-name histories, not the modern word will followed by the adjective hard. The English pronunciation differs across accents: British speakers generally have a non-rhotic ending. Its older surname background makes Willard a different kind of choice from the related but historically separate William.
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About Willard
Recorded as a dog’s name
Willard appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2016 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
/wɪlɚd/
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
/wɪlɚd/ · primary stress on syllable 1W IH1 L ER0 D
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.