Skylar Name Meaning, Origins & History

Skylar

Pronunciation: SKY-lur

Meaning Scholar Origin surnames Gender Unisex
GIRLS RANK
#167
TREND
33
BOYS RANK
#1,537
TREND
13

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of girls named Skylar in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Skylar

  • More than 105 thousand babies named Skylar: U.S. records list 105,674 babies given the name Skylar from 1880 through 2025. Of these, 18,271 boys received the name Skylar - about 1 boy for every 5 girls.

What Does the Name Skylar Mean?

Skylar is an English given name derived from the Dutch surname Schuyler, meaning 'scholar' or 'student.' The surname comes from Middle Dutch scolier, a word for a pupil or learned person, ultimately from Latin scholaris. Skylar is a spelling variant of Skyler, an Anglicized form of the same surname. The spelling with sky may suggest the English word sky, but that is a modern association rather than the name's origin.

Skylar Name History & Origins

The name entered English through the Dutch colonial surname Schuyler. In the seventeenth-century Dutch colony of New Netherland, the Schuyler family was prominent around Albany, New York, and the surname became well known in the United States. English speakers pronounced Schuyler as SKY-lur, and from that surname Americans developed the given names Skyler and Skylar. These given names are American adaptations rather than traditional Dutch first names. Skylar is the more phonetic spelling of Skyler, and both forms are used for boys and girls in the United States.

Modern fictional characters, including Skylar in the 1997 film Good Will Hunting and Skyler White in the television series Breaking Bad, are later uses of the given name and not its source. The name's documented background is the Dutch surname and its Anglicized pronunciation, not the English word sky.

How Popular is the Name Skylar?

Skylar recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2015. Skylar entered the top 100 U.S. girl names in 2012.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

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How the Name Skylar Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You are spiritually intense and can sting or charm. Your name brings love and new starts into life and attracts money. In business, you are the creator and promoter of original ideas and usually enjoy considerable financial success. You are inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.

You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.

✦ Skylar's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Skylar's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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