The name Sankey is of English origin, derived from an Old English surname that referred to people who lived near or worked at a sandbank on a river. It began to be used as a given name in the United States in 1972 for boys and 1985 for girls, with over 600 individuals named Sankey recorded by 2018. The name has various spellings including Sankey, Sankei, and Sänki. It is relatively uncommon, never ranking among the top 1000 most popular baby names in the U.S. Historically, it is associated with British engineer James Sankey (1875-1947).