unisex name · in the US
Skyler
SKY-ler (English)
- Origin Dutch
- Gender Unisex (US)
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 74,721
the United States
#670
2025 births
Skyler is Dutch and means a scholar — it respells Schuyler, a surname carried by one of New York's founding families, and it has nothing to do with the sky despite the spelling. Its strongest market is Scotland, at 411th.
- Skyler is a name of Dutch origin.
- Peaked in 2000, when 2,756 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,438 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1954.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Skyler Over Time
Births per decade in the United States, 1950s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 31 |
| 1960s | 58 |
| 1970s | 284 |
| 1980s | 3,935 |
| 1990s | 17,753 |
| 2000s | 24,260 |
| 2010s | 17,768 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,450 |
What Skyler Means
Skyler means a scholar, or one who avoids. The Dutch schuyler is a word for a person who shelters or hides, extended to someone who studies rather than works.
Where Skyler Comes From
Skyler respells the Dutch Schuyler, from schuilen, to hide or take shelter — a byname for someone who avoided something, later read as a scholar. The Schuylers were among the wealthiest families of Dutch New York; Philip Schuyler was a Revolutionary general and his daughter Elizabeth married Alexander Hamilton. The modern spelling is entirely phonetic and the sky reading is folk etymology built on it. About 41 percent of births in birth records are female.
Skyler in Use
Skyler peaked in the United States in 2000, when 2,756 babies were registered, and is falling. It now ranks 411th in Scotland on 8 births, 670th in the United States on 400, 791st in Ireland, 936th in England and Wales on 35 and 6,396th in France, across 74,721 lifetime births in six markets. About 41 percent of recorded births are female, which puts it among the mixed.
How Popular Is Skyler?
In 2025, Skyler was given to 747 babies in the United States, ranking #670 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
Where Skyler Is Used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Skyler
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Skyler Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Skyler over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Boys' or Girls' Name?
Skyler is used differently depending on where you are. Each figure is the share of babies given the name who were girls, over the last ten years of that country's records.
- United States Both 56% girls · 11,264 babies
- Canada Both 43% girls · 925 babies
- England & Wales Both 88% girls · 823 babies
- Ireland Girls' 100% girls · 105 babies
- Scotland Girls' 100% girls · 75 babies
- France Both 70% girls · 50 babies
How to Say Skyler
- English SKY-ler /ˈskaɪ.ləɹ/
1 nickname for Skyler
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Skyler in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling Names for Skyler
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Skyler — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Skyler
What does the name Skyler mean?
A scholar — from the Dutch schuilen, to shelter or hide.
Is Skyler about the sky?
No. That is folk etymology built on the modern phonetic spelling.
Who were the Schuylers?
One of the wealthiest families of Dutch New York. Elizabeth Schuyler married Alexander Hamilton.
Is Skyler a girls' name?
About 41 percent of recorded births are female.
How popular is the name Skyler?
In 2025, Skyler was given to 747 babies in the United States, ranking #670 that year. It ranks among the top 1,000 names in the United States.
How many syllables are in Skyler?
Skyler has 2 syllables.
When was Skyler most popular?
Skyler peaked in 2000, when 2,756 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Skyler?
Skyler is usually shortened to Sky.
Is Skyler a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Skyler currently ranks #411 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.