Sky
The name of Greek origin meaning the region above the earth's surface.
Name Census estimates that about 13,293 living Americans carry the first name Sky. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 69.8% of registrations being female. The average person named Sky today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sky births was 2014 (509 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sky. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Sky started out as a boys' name but over the decades crossed over and is now given to girls far more often.
People living today
13K
~ 1 in 25,785 Americans
Peak year
2014
509 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#828
Tracked since 1953
Gender
Gender distribution for Sky
Sky is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 13,566 total registrations, 4,101 (30.2%) were male and 9,465 (69.8%) were female.
Sky as a male name
- Ranked #1,702 in 2024
- 98 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2014 (124 births)
Sky as a female name
- Ranked #828 in 2024
- 330 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (405 births)
Popularity
Sky: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sky from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 4,169 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Sky remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sky by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sky during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Skys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 40 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Sky, while West Virginia, Nebraska, Kansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 217 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Sky
The name Sky has its origins in the English language, where it is a relatively modern name that emerged in the 20th century. The name is derived from the word "sky," which refers to the vast expanse of air and atmosphere above the Earth's surface. This name is often seen as a nature-inspired name, reflecting a connection with the outdoors and the beauty of the natural world.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Sky can be found in the 1945 novel "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck. In the book, a character named Sky is mentioned, although it is not a prominent character. However, this literary reference suggests that the name was already in use, at least to some extent, in the early 20th century.
The name Sky gained more popularity in the latter half of the 20th century, particularly in the United States. One of the earliest notable individuals with the name was Sky King, an American actor and singer who starred in the popular television series "Sky King" from 1951 to 1959. The show centered around a pilot and his niece, and helped to popularize the name among viewers.
Another famous bearer of the name was Sky Saxon, an American singer-songwriter and musician best known as the lead singer of the 1960s psychedelic rock band The Seeds. Saxon was born Richard Marsh Hogshaw in 1937 and adopted the stage name Sky Saxon, which aligned with the counterculture movement of the time.
In the world of sports, Sky Mariash was a Canadian figure skater who competed in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France. She was born in 1972 and her unique name reflected the growing popularity of nature-inspired names during that era.
Lastly, Sky Ferreira is an American singer, songwriter, model, and actress who rose to prominence in the 2010s. Born in 1992, her unique name has become a recognizable part of her artistic persona in the music and entertainment industry.
These examples showcase the diverse range of individuals who have carried the name Sky throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries, reflecting its increasing popularity and association with elements of nature, creativity, and individuality.
People
Sky + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sky as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sky: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sky?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13,293 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sky going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 25,785 US residents.
Is Sky a common name?
We classify Sky as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13,566 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sky most popular?
The single biggest year for Sky was 2014, when 509 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sky is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Sky a female name?
Yes, 69.8% of people registered as Sky in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.