Skyla
Skyla was the 986th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 257 babies. Its best year was 2012, when it ranked 504th with 605 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 435 places. More babies were named Skyla in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning shortened from Skyler · American English, Dutch
Say it SKY-luh /ˈskaɪlə/
- Rank in 2025
- #986 girls, down 353 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 257girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2012605 babies
- Total since 1880
- 14,344babies recorded
What does the name Skyla mean?
Skyla is a 20th-century invention, shortened from Skyler, according to Wiktionary. Skyler is a spelling of Schuyler, a Dutch surname meaning scholar or student. Parents may also hear the English word sky in Skyla, which is likely part of its appeal. Wiktionary notes that Schuyler was brought to America by 17th-century Dutch settlers. US records show Skyla from 1959, most often in recent decades.
Schuyler (Dutch, “scholar (surname)”)
How sure is this? Probable. Modern formation; meaning through Schuyler.
Related names: Skyler, Skylar, Schuyler, Sky.
See also: American names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Skyla' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Schuyler' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Skyla
The usual nicknames for Skyla are Sky. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Skyla in the last five years, 100 were named Sky, against 55 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky · also for Skylar, Skyler | Modern | #949 | 1,766 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Skylas go by each one.
Skyla popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #986 | 257 |
| 2020 | #633 | 458 |
| 2010 | #555 | 527 |
| 2000 | #666 | 364 |
| 1990 | #1,406 | 113 |
| 1980 | #3,708 | 22 |
| 1970 | #5,754 | 9 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Skyla, counting every spelling?
Skyla is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #808 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #986 for Skyla on its own. Together these spellings went to 336 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skyla | 257 | #986 | 1,773 |
| Skylah | 79 | #2,323 | 493 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Skyla?
257 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Skyla (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Skyla born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 33 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Skyla.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Skyla?
About 14,200 people born in the US named Skyla are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 9 and 22. That makes Skyla mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Skyla by state
How common Skyla was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Tennessee (1.6×), New York (1.6×), Florida (1.6×), Minnesota (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Connecticut, Louisiana, Nevada.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Skyla: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Skyla, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Skyla · Sibling names for Skyla
Questions about the name Skyla
What does Skyla mean?
Skyla means “shortened from Skyler” (American English, Dutch origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Skyla?
Skyla was the 986th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 257 babies. Its best year was 2012, when it ranked 504th with 605 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 435 places. More babies were named Skyla in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Skyla a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Skyla in the US.
Where is Skyla most popular?
In 2021–2025, Skyla was most common in Alaska (0.81 per 1,000 girls), followed by Rhode Island and Montana.