Girl's name
Skye
Say it SKY
Roots in Scottish Gaelic and English 1 syllable
Where Skye is loved, common and rare
Common in Scotland. Rare in England and Wales, Canada, Northern Ireland and seven more places.
1 in 267 girls born in Scotland in 2025
Scotland 60thEngland and Wales 219thBritish Columbia 223rd
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 13 of the 40 official lists, among them Scotland (60th), England and Wales (219th) and British Columbia (223rd).
Show all 13 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 60th 2025 | 67 | 1 in 267 |
| England and Wales | 219th 2025 | 214 | 1 in 1,184 |
| British Columbia province | 223rd 2023 | 14 | about 1 in 854 |
| Northern Ireland | 231st 2025 | 7 | 1 in 1,041 |
| Ireland | 273rd 2025 | 15 | 1 in 1,408 |
| Quebec province | 363rd 2025 | 14 | about 1 in 1,857 |
| The Netherlands | 501st 2025 | 25 | about 1 in 2,441 |
| Ontario province | 564th 2024 | 22 | about 1 in 2,476 |
| Sweden | 885th 2025 | 5 | about 1 in 8,034 |
| Berlin city | 937th 2023 | 2 | about 1 in 7,252 |
| Switzerland | 1168th 2025 | 4 | 1 in 8,498 |
| France | 3366th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 57,359 |
| Italy | 4773rd 2024 | 1 | 1 in 179,169 |
Rare, below the listed names: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock, Norway, Spain, Catalonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Germany publishes no national statistics on first names. German figures here are city lists (Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock), never the country.
Sources: National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); NISRA (Northern Ireland); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); Skatteverket (Swedish Tax Agency) (Sweden); BerlinOnline GmbH; Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten (LABO) / Standesämter (Berlin); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy). How we count, and every source
About the name
Skye is taken from the Isle of Skye, off the west coast of Scotland, known in Gaelic as An t-Eilean Sgitheanach. The island's own name has long been debated and is probably older than the Indo-European languages. Skye can also be a fanciful spelling of the word sky, and as a given name it is a modern choice.
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A single syllable, said SKY, it is short and airy. Sky is the plain spelling of the same name.
Skye is a top-60 name in Scotland, which fits its island origin, and it is also used in England and Wales and in British Columbia. In the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland it is rare. In Canada it reached its peak around 2014, and it is currently falling in slightly more places than it is rising, while remaining a well-known and well-liked name.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- SKY, 1 syllable
- Origin
- Scottish Gaelic and English
- Other spellings
- Sky
Etymology
From the Isle of Skye (Gaelic An t-Eilean Sgitheanach), whose origin is long disputed, probably pre-Indo-European; or a fanciful spelling of the word sky. Modern use.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 1 of 8 regions, falling in 3.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 121 | 124 | 134 | 161 | 167 | 167 | 188 | 184 | 202 | 219 |
| Scotland | 39 | 38 | 44 | 42 | 55 | 35 | 45 | 53 | 45 | 60 |
| Northern Ireland | 159 | 215 | 208 | 336 | 192 | 266 | 243 | 264 | 288 | 231 |
| Ireland | 181 | 199 | 209 | 201 | 220 | 251 | 266 | 168 | 275 | 273 |
| Ontario | 379 | 414 | 288 | 361 | 343 | 419 | 500 | 456 | 564 | |
| British Columbia | 281 | 345 | 313 | 246 | 179 | 398 | 381 | 223 | ||
| South Australia | 96 | 150 | ||||||||
| Quebec | 482 | 414 | 475 | 278 | 339 | 329 | 370 | 427 | 412 | 363 |
| France | 2565 | 3591 | 3634 | 3605 | 2509 | 3650 | 3521 | 3443 | 3366 | |
| The Netherlands | 316 | 255 | 378 | 305 | 369 | 363 | 331 | 390 | 501 | |
| Switzerland | 1458 | 1116 | 1033 | 1140 | 639 | 795 | 1143 | 874 | 1147 | 1168 |
| Rostock | 199 | |||||||||
| Sweden | 900 | 885 |
England and Wales, 1996 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 219 | 214 | 84.5 |
| 2024 | 202 | 245 | 95.0 |
| 2023 | 184 | 277 | 108.0 |
| 2022 | 188 | 269 | 102.1 |
| 2021 | 167 | 309 | 112.8 |
| 2020 | 167 | 303 | 112.9 |
| 2019 | 161 | 311 | 111.1 |
| 2018 | 134 | 391 | 135.6 |
| 2017 | 124 | 449 | 150.1 |
| 2016 | 121 | 482 | 156.9 |
| 2015 | 115 | 502 | 163.0 |
| 2014 | 109 | 518 | 168.9 |
| 2013 | 91 | 595 | 192.9 |
| 2012 | 86 | 666 | 206.8 |
| 2011 | 84 | 717 | 223.1 |
| 2010 | 73 | 828 | 257.9 |
| 2009 | 71 | 895 | 285.6 |
| 2008 | 76 | 836 | 264.8 |
| 2007 | 67 | 930 | 303.8 |
| 2006 | 76 | 775 | 259.0 |
| 2005 | 88 | 631 | 218.9 |
| 2004 | 108 | 490 | 171.4 |
| 2003 | 114 | 438 | 157.2 |
| 2002 | 123 | 381 | 142.5 |
| 2001 | 142 | 321 | 119.8 |
| 2000 | 153 | 300 | 109.8 |
| 1999 | 158 | 282 | 100.1 |
| 1998 | 206 | 203 | 70.2 |
| 1997 | 226 | 180 | 61.4 |
| 1996 | 285 | 130 | 43.9 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Skye in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2007. First recorded in 1974. Her peak year there: 2014, at 81.7 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Skye per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 2014 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Skye
1 in 511 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Skye.
1 in 225 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Skye.
1 in 596 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Skye.
1 in 383 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Skye.
1 in 293 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Skye. Same first letter as Skye.
1 in 160 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Skye.
1 in 455 in Northern Ireland
Rose and fell with Skye.
1 in 271 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Skye.
1 in 497 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Skye.
1 in 768 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Skye.
Middle names for Skye
1 in 107 in Northern Ireland
Skye Charlotte
1-2 beats · initials SC
Changes the beat after Skye: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Skye Olivia
1-4 beats · initials SO · Skye slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Skye: 1 syllable, then 4 syllables. Skye slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 86 in Ireland
Skye Sophie
1-2 beats · initials SS
Changes the beat after Skye: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Skye Maria
1-3 beats · initials SM
Changes the beat after Skye: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables.
1 in 102 in Ireland
Skye Mia
1-2 beats · initials SM
Changes the beat after Skye: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 132 in Northern Ireland
Skye Ruby
1-2 beats · initials SR
Changes the beat after Skye: 1 syllable, then 2 syllables.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Skye Emily
1-3 beats · initials SE · Skye slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Skye: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables. Skye slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Skye Julia
1-3 beats · initials SJ
Changes the beat after Skye: 1 syllable, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Skye
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 1,118 in Scotland
95% alike: moves with Skye across countries and decades.
1 in 596 in Scotland
95% alike: moves with Skye across countries and decades.
1 in 1,320 in Ireland
94% alike: moves with Skye across countries and decades.
1 in 895 in Scotland
94% alike: moves with Skye across countries and decades.
1 in 183 in Scotland
94% alike: moves with Skye across countries and decades.
1 in 511 in Scotland
94% alike: moves with Skye across countries and decades.
1 in 271 in Scotland
93% alike: moves with Skye across countries and decades.
1 in 486 in Northern Ireland
93% alike: moves with Skye across countries and decades.
Famous people named Skye
Skye McCole Bartusiak and Skye Sweetnam.
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American actress (1992-2014)
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Canadian singer born 1988
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Skye
4 questions, on how popular she is, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
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How popular is Skye?
Her best rank is No. 60 in Scotland in 2025, about 1 in 267 girls. She is in the published lists of 13 of our 40 regions.
How do you pronounce Skye?
SKY, with 1 syllable.
Is Skye getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 1 of 8 regions, falling in 3.
Which sister names go with Skye?
The deck's top five sisters for Skye: Autumn, Kate, Hope, Faith and Summer. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.