Wang is one of the most common surnames in the world: a Chinese surname meaning "king" or "monarch." As a pet name in the NYC and Seattle licensing data, it almost certainly reflects a family applying their own surname to a pet, common in Chinese-American households where naming a dog after the family name expresses belonging.
Registry Context: A Surname Applied
In Chinese naming tradition, surnames carry enormous weight. Applying the family surname to a pet signals inclusion: the dog is part of the family in the most literal naming sense. For families named Wang, giving the dog the surname is a natural gesture.
The Cross-Cultural Legibility Problem
In English, Wang carries secondary associations that don't exist in Chinese. This is genuine friction for Chinese-American families whose surnames happen to read unintentionally in English. Most navigate it by not explaining unless asked.
The Counter-Reading: Context Does All the Work
Wang as a pet name communicates almost nothing to people without the family context. Unlike descriptive names or pop culture references, this is purely relational. The name means "this is our family's dog" in the most literal possible way, which is the only meaning that matters.