Meaning and background
The story behind Wish
A wish is something a person wants or hopes will happen, and the English word also works as a verb. The single-syllable name might evoke hope or a meaningful arrival, but any owner's actual reason would be private and cannot be deduced from the name alone. Its sense is distinct from the longer Wishbone, which refers to a particular bone associated with a wishing custom. Wish has no demonstrated connection to an ancient personal-name root.
- Meaning
- English noun: a desire or hope that something will happen; also a verb expressing that desire. Source
Try Wish out loud
Everyday moments“Wish, come here!”
Say it as you would on a walk or at home. Does it feel natural alongside your usual commands and other pets’ names?
About Wish
Recorded as a dog’s name
Wish appears in 6 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
/wɪʃ/
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
/wɪʃ/ · primary stress on syllable 1W IH1 SH
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.