The Olympic sport “skeleton” is most likely named after the early sleds, which looked bare and bone‑like , similar to a human skeleton.

Where the name comes from

  • In the 1890s, racers started using very minimal metal sleds instead of wooden toboggans.
  • These stripped‑down frames were so thin and exposed that people said they resembled a skeleton, and the name stuck.
  • The modern sport kept that name even as the equipment became more high‑tech and aerodynamic.

Other theories you might hear

Some historians and fans mention another idea: that “skeleton” came from a mis-translation or anglicized version of the Norwegian word “kjelke” (a type of sled). This explanation is debated, and official and reference sources usually highlight the skeleton‑like look of the early metal sleds as the main reason.

Quick story version

Picture late‑1800s riders in Switzerland hurtling down an icy track on a tiny metal frame with almost nothing around them. Someone jokes it looks like a skeleton, the nickname catches on, and by the time the sport reaches the Olympics, that dramatic name is already part of its identity.

TL;DR: It’s called skeleton because the first metal racing sleds were so bare and spindly that they looked like a skeleton, and that vivid name never went away.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.