Stryker is an English spelling of the Dutch surname Strijker, a trade name for someone who leveled grain measures or smoothed cloth, from strijken, to stroke or strike; as a first name it is heard as "striker" and belongs with tough modern picks like Ryker and Gunner. Many parents know it from the X-Men villain William Stryker and from the Stryker armored vehicle. In the United States Stryker ranked number 8996 in 2000, peaked at number 1549 in 2014 and stood at number 2597 in 2025 with 51 boys.