Skylar
Skylar was the 167th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,818 babies. Its best year was 2015, when it ranked 42nd with 5,295 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 125 places. More babies were named Skylar in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning scholar (via Dutch Schuyler) · Dutch, German
Say it SKY-ler /ˈskaɪlər/
- Rank in 2025
- #167 girls, down 103 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,818girls
- Girls and boys
- 95% girls, 5% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20155,295 babies
- Total since 1880
- 105,716babies recorded
What does the name Skylar mean?
Skylar is a phonetic spelling of Schuyler, a Dutch surname brought to New York by 17th-century settlers. Wiktionary traces Schuyler to German Schüler, 'scholar, student', though it flags that etymology for verification. Wikipedia notes that it became an American first name in honor of the prominent Schuyler family of New York, and Wiktionary dates the Skylar spelling to the 1980s. Its sound also suggests the English word sky, which helps explain its appeal; it is used for both girls and boys.
Schuyler (Dutch, “surname”)Schüler (German, “scholar, student”)
How sure is this? Probable. The 'scholar' derivation of Schuyler rests on Wiktionary alone, which flags it as needing verification; a Dutch surname dictionary check is needed.
Related names: Skyler, Schuyler, Skyla, Skye.
See also: Germanic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Skylar', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wiktionary, entry 'Schuyler', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Skyler', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Nicknames for Skylar
The usual nicknames for Skylar are Sky. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Skylar in the last five years, 14 were named Sky, against 11 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky · also for Skyler, Skyla | Modern | #949 | 1,766 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Skylars go by each one.
Skylar popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #167 | #1,537 | 1,818 | 113 |
| 2020 | #64 | #1,193 | 3,645 | 162 |
| 2010 | #180 | #525 | 1,723 | 493 |
| 2000 | #135 | #356 | 2,503 | 748 |
| 1990 | #561 | #466 | 419 | 448 |
| 1980 | #6,266 | #2,104 | 11 | 26 |
| 1970 | — | #3,791 | — | 8 |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Skylar, counting every spelling?
Skylar is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #190 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #167 for Skylar on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,827 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skylar | 1,818 | #167 | 12,791 |
| Skilar | 9 | #10,803 | 45 |
| Skyllar | — | — | 29 |
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 Skylar?
1,818 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Skylar (0.50 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Skylar 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 5 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Skylar.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Skylar?
About 86,700 people born in the US named Skylar are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 8 and 21. That makes Skylar a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Skylar by state
How common Skylar was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (3.2×), Delaware (2.9×), District of Columbia (2.9×), Alabama (2.1×), West Virginia (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Alaska, North Dakota, New Mexico.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Skylar: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Skylar, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Skylar · Sibling names for Skylar
Questions about the name Skylar
What does Skylar mean?
Skylar means “scholar (via Dutch Schuyler)” (Dutch, German origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Skylar?
Skylar was the 167th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 1,818 babies. Its best year was 2015, when it ranked 42nd with 5,295 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 125 places. More babies were named Skylar in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Skylar a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 95% girls, 5% boys given the name Skylar in the US.
Where is Skylar most popular?
In 2021–2025, Skylar was most common in Mississippi (5.00 per 1,000 girls), followed by Delaware and District of Columbia.