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Starsky

♂ Boy

Pronounced STAR-skee /ˈstɑːr.ski/Medium

Meaning: Starsky is a Polish and wider Slavic surname (of the type built on stary, 'old', or a place-name) that briefly became a boys' first name in the United States after the television detective Dave Starsky.Low

In 30 seconds: Starsky is a Slavic surname turned rare first name, straight from a nineteen-seventies TV detective (said 'STAR-skee').

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Origin LowSlavic, Polish

MeaningStarsky is a Polish and wider Slavic surname (of the type built on stary, 'old', or a place-name) that briefly became a boys' first name in the United States after the television detective Dave Starsky.

U.S. rank (2000)#10183 ↘ Falling

2000 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)

Peak year1976

Total births (all-time)≈ 134

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

Starsky is a Slavic surname — the kind formed with the -sky ending on a root like stary, 'old', or a place-name — that Americans borrowed as a first name. Its whole tiny US history tracks one source: a popular detective character.

The name surfaced with the television series Starsky & Hutch, which ran in the second half of the nineteen-seventies, peaked at just a few dozen boys a year around 1976, and quickly faded; it reads as a pop-culture curiosity rather than a traditional given name.

Did you know? Starsky appeared in US birth records almost entirely because of the show Starsky & Hutch, cresting around 1976 at only a few dozen boys a year.

Overall data confidence 50%

References — Starsky — Slavic -sky surname; TV series Starsky & Hutch

Variations

StarskiSarsky

Nicknames

Star

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Starsky…

Dashiell— a like distinctive surname-style boys' name

Ozzie— shares the pop-culture, nickname-friendly feel

Rocky— another nineteen-seventies pop-culture boys' name

Sonny— same casual, of-its-era American sound

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Starsky mean?

Starsky is a Slavic surname used as a first name, popularized by the nineteen-seventies detective Dave Starsky.

How do you pronounce Starsky?

It's said STAR-skee /ˈstɑːr.ski/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Starsky a boy or girl name?

Starsky is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Starsky?

Starsky was always very rare, appearing briefly around the mid-nineteen-seventies.