NameCensus.

UK name, mostly girls

Skylar

Of English origin, meaning "scholar" or "student of books and learning".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Skylar is mostly registered for girls in the UK records. People looking for Skylar popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #256, with 190 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2018, with 345 births.

This profile covers 3,648 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1998 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 55% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 3,973 living people in the UK are called Skylar. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Skylar ranked #256 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 190 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2018, when 345 girls were registered as Skylar.
  • Skylar ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #215 in 2024.
  • About 3,973 living people in the UK are estimated to have Skylar as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
  • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 99.0% of Skylar registrations are for girls.

Latest rank (E&W)

#256

2024

Births in 2024

190

Latest year

Peak year

2018

345 births

Estimated living

3,973

2026

Gender

Boy and girl registrations for Skylar

In England and Wales birth records, Skylar has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 1.0% of registrations are for boys and 99.0% are for girls.

These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.

99% girls
Boys35 (1.0%)Girls3,648 (99.0%)

Skylar registered for boys

  • Ranked #3,990 in 2021
  • 4 boys registered in 2021
  • Peak: 2013 (5 births)

Skylar registered for girls

  • Ranked #256 in 2024
  • 190 girls registered in 2024
  • Peak: 2018 (345 births)

Meaning

What does Skylar mean?

The name Skylar is a gender-neutral English name that has gained popularity in recent decades. Its origins can be traced back to the Dutch word "schuyler," which means "scholar" or "student." The name was initially used as a surname in the 17th century by Dutch settlers in the New York area.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Skylar as a first name dates back to the late 19th century. In 1898, a woman named Skylar Hamilton was born in Ohio, United States. However, it wasn't until the mid-20th century that the name began to gain more widespread use as a given name.

Historically, the name Skylar has been associated with a few notable figures. One such individual was Skylar Delone, an American politician who served as the Treasurer of New Jersey from 1946 to 1949. Another notable bearer of the name was Skylar Royce, an American author known for her historical fiction novels set in the American West during the late 19th century.

In the realm of literature, the name Skylar appears in several works of fiction. For instance, Skylar Sterns is a character in the novel "The Smoke Hunter" by Jacquelyn Byers, published in 2001. Additionally, Skylar James is the protagonist in the young adult novel "Skylar's Outlaw" by Cynthia Rutledge, released in 2005.

Among the more famous individuals with the name Skylar throughout history are Skylar Grey, an American singer, songwriter, and record producer born in 1986. Skylar Diggins, an American professional basketball player born in 1990, is another well-known figure with this name. Skylar Astin, an American actor and singer born in 1987, is also a notable bearer of the name.

Other notable individuals with the name Skylar include Skylar Neese, an American teenager who gained national attention in 2012 after her tragic murder, and Skylar Richardson, an American woman who was convicted of abuse of a corpse in 2019 after giving birth to a stillborn child.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Skylar over time

The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Skylar in England and Wales, from 1998 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Skylar, the clearest high point is 2018. The latest England and Wales figure is 190 births in 2024, compared with 345 at the peak.

Babies born per year

BoysGirls
086173259345199820112024

Decades

Skylar by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Skylar was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #193 1,339 5
2010s #351 2,139 10
2000s #1596 159 10
1990s #2666 11 2

Geography

Where Skylar is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Skylar. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Skylar ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #215 in 2024.

Scotland
17
Northern Ireland
5

Across the UK

Skylar in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#215 in 2024

14 years of NRS records, 276 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#288 in 2024

12 years of NISRA records, 67 total registered

Related

Names similar to Skylar

FAQ

Skylar: questions and answers

How popular is the name Skylar in the UK right now?

In 2024, Skylar was ranked #256 for girls in England and Wales, with 190 births registered.

When was Skylar most popular?

The peak year on record was 2018, with 345 babies registered as Skylar in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Skylar?

Of English origin, meaning "scholar" or "student of books and learning".

How many people are called Skylar in the UK?

A total of 3,648 babies have been registered as Skylar across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 276 more in Scotland and 67 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Skylar most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Skylar ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #215 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.