embrisa.
embrisa.
Theme
Unisex

Skylar

/ˈskaɪ.lɚ/

Scholar, refuge

Dutch

How to say it

SKY · lar

/ˈskaɪ.lɚ/

What it means

American spelling of the Dutch surname Schuyler ('scholar' or 'shelter, refuge'). The first-name use surged in the 1990s; Breaking Bad's Skyler White (Anna Gunn, 2008-2013) anchored a darker modern reference.

Skylar is an American respelling of the Dutch surname Schuyler, from a Dutch root meaning 'scholar' or 'shelter, refuge.' Philip Schuyler (1733-1804), Alexander Hamilton's father-in-law and a Revolutionary War general, gave the surname its American historical anchor. The first-name use is mostly post-1990; Breaking Bad's Skyler White (Anna Gunn, 2008-2013) gave the name a darker prestige-TV anchor. As a given name Skylar entered the US top 100 in 2014 and is now firmly unisex. The Skyler/Skylar/Schuyler spelling tree all pronounces the same: SKY-lar.

Popularity over time

#10 #100 #1000 #1 #858618802025

Feminine: peaked at #42 in 2015, currently #167 in 2025.

Masculine: peaked at #356 in 2000, currently #1537 in 2025.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving

Heads-up notes

  • Pop culture

    Breaking Bad's Skyler White is the dominant prestige-TV anchor; Hamilton (the musical) features the Schuyler sisters (1700s spelling).

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

  • Skyler White Anna Gunn's character in Breaking Bad, 2008-2013
  • Schuyler Sisters Three Schuyler sisters in Hamilton (1700s Dutch-American spelling)

Spelling variants

  • Skyler
  • Schuyler