Meaning and background
The story behind Yoko
Yoko is documented as an alternate transcription of Japanese Yōko in Behind the Name. The linked entry gives examples written with characters for sun or light plus child, or ocean plus child, and explicitly allows other character combinations. The written form therefore matters: the Latin letters alone do not select one meaning. This supports a Japanese personal-name connection while preserving the ambiguity that romanization creates.
- Origin
- Alternate transcription of Japanese Yōko; documented character combinations include sun or light with child, and ocean with child, with other combinations possible. Source · Source 2
Try Yoko out loud
Everyday moments“Yoko, come here!”
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About Yoko
Recorded as a dog’s name
Yoko appears in 9 dog licence records in the 2026 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
/joʊkoʊ/
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
/joʊkoʊ/ · primary stress on syllable 1Y OW1 K OW0
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 — extract_year 2026 — Dog licence periods, not unique dogs; NYC only. No owner-level fields retrieved.
- 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.