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Skippy
How to Pronounce Skippy
Pronounced SKIP-ee /ˈskɪpi/High
Meaning: Skippy is an affectionate pet name rather than an inherited one, formed by adding the friendly -y ending to Skip or Skipper. Skipper comes from the Middle Dutch schipper, 'ship's captain', and became an English nickname for a leader or lively child. Skippy grew popular as a comic-strip and pet name, and a few families recorded it as an actual first name.Low
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Skippy is a diminutive of Skip or Skipper, the latter from a word for a ship's captain. It thrived as an affectionate nickname for energetic boys, boosted by Percy Crosby's comic strip Skippy and the Oscar-winning film based on it.
As a legal first name Skippy was always scarce, given to only a couple dozen boys a year around its 1930s and 1940s high and gone by the 1980s. A Skippy from then would be a grandfather now, and the name keeps a jaunty, boyish, distinctly period charm.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Skippy mean?
It is a playful pet name from Skip or Skipper, an English word for a ship's captain.
How do you pronounce Skippy?
It is said SKIP-ee, two syllables with the stress on the first.
Is Skippy a boy or girl name?
Skippy is used as a boy's name.
Is Skippy a popular name?
No, Skippy was always rare as a legal name, a pet name that saw only light use around the mid twentieth century.