Skye
Skye was the 532nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 569 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 368th with 887 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 148 places. More babies were named Skye in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning the Isle of Skye; or sky · Scottish Gaelic, English
Say it SKY /skaɪ/
- Rank in 2025
- #532 girls, down 66 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 569girls
- Girls and boys
- 91% girls, 9% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2014887 babies
- Total since 1880
- 27,165babies recorded
What does the name Skye mean?
Skye is the name of the largest island of the Inner Hebrides in Scotland, Gaelic An t-Eilean Sgitheanach. Wiktionary notes that the island's name is of long-disputed origin, probably from a pre-Celtic language, with no theory widely accepted. As a girl's name it is a modern use of the place name or a fanciful spelling of the word sky.
An t-Eilean Sgitheanach (Scottish Gaelic, “the Isle of Skye (origin disputed)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. The place name's origin is disputed; the given name may simply be the word sky.
See also: Scottish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Skye', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Skye', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Skye popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #532 | #2,357 | 569 | 59 |
| 2020 | #466 | #2,580 | 664 | 50 |
| 2010 | #492 | #1,766 | 615 | 85 |
| 2000 | #480 | #1,447 | 566 | 86 |
| 1990 | #689 | #1,634 | 308 | 51 |
| 1980 | #1,266 | #1,589 | 103 | 38 |
| 1970 | #4,225 | #5,341 | 14 | 5 |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Skye, counting every spelling?
Skye is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #394 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #532 for Skye on its own. Together these spellings went to 841 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skye | 569 | #532 | 3,397 |
| Sky | 272 | #949 | 1,766 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Skye?
569 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Skye (0.16 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Skye born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 15 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Skye.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Skye?
About 23,900 people born in the US named Skye are alive today, with a median age of 17; half are between 9 and 26. That makes Skye mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Skye by state
How common Skye was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (7.3×), Utah (2.4×), Nevada (2.1×), Louisiana (2.0×), Florida (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Skye: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Skye, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Skye · Sibling names for Skye
Questions about the name Skye
What does Skye mean?
Skye is usually explained as “the Isle of Skye; or sky”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Skye?
Skye was the 532nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 569 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 368th with 887 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 148 places. More babies were named Skye in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Skye a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 91% girls, 9% boys given the name Skye in the US.
Where is Skye most popular?
In 2021–2025, Skye was most common in Hawaii (3.05 per 1,000 girls), followed by Utah and Nevada.