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The short answer
Skylar is a variant of Skyler, itself a respelling of the Dutch surname Schuyler. Behind the Name notes it was originally more common for boys in the 1980s before becoming popular for girls, a shift the entry links to the soap opera The Young and the Restless (1989), the film Good Will Hunting (1997), the character Skyler White on Breaking Bad, and singer Skylar Grey. It has no confirmed English pronunciation guide in the cached source but is commonly said SKY-lər. In the United States, db/list-batch.mjs lists Skylar at #167 among girls' names in 2025, though Behind the Name itself lists the name for both genders.
Meaning and etymology
Behind the Name records Skylar as a "variant of Skyler", which is itself based on the pronunciation of the Dutch surname Schuyler, respelled as if blending the English word "sky" with names like Tyler. The entry attributes its shift from an originally boy-leaning name toward its current, largely feminine use to a string of pop-culture appearances rather than to any change in etymology.
Editorial confidence: established
Linguistic roots
| Language | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch surname | Schuyler | not verified — Behind the Name gives the respelling history but does not gloss the underlying Dutch surname's meaning |
Popularity
Skylar ranked #167 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, according to db/list-batch.mjs's SSA 2025 figures. The cached Behind the Name facts for Skylar carry no numeric rank to cross-check against.
| Region | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2025 | #167 | ssa-2025 |
Nicknames, variants, and related names
Nicknames: Sky
Variants: Skyler, Schuyler, Skyla
What the name feels like
Skylar mixes an occupational-surname shape (like Tyler or Taylor) with the evocative word "sky", giving it a breezy, modern-nature feel distinct from more traditional surname names.
Style tags: surname name, modern, nature-adjacent, pop-culture influenced
Editorial interpretation: This style description is editorial opinion. Behind the Name documents the respelling history and pop-culture influences, not a style classification.
If you like this name
Other surname-turned-first-names with a similar sound, or names connected to Skylar's television and film history.
Similar by sound
Similar by popularity
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Skylar mean?
Skylar is a variant of Skyler, a respelling of the Dutch surname Schuyler; Behind the Name does not gloss the surname's original meaning.
Is Skylar a boy's name or a girl's name?
Behind the Name lists Skylar as used for both boys and girls, though it was originally more common for boys in the 1980s before becoming primarily a girls' name; U.S. Social Security Administration figures cited here (2025) place it at #167 for girls.
Why did Skylar become popular?
Behind the Name credits its rise to appearances on the soap opera The Young and the Restless, the film Good Will Hunting, the character Skyler White on Breaking Bad, and singer Skylar Grey adopting the name.
Sources
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Skylar — supports etymology, variants, history.
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name Skyler — supports etymology (variant history).
- U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — national data, year of birth 2025 — supports popularity.
