A variant spelling of Skylar, meaning 'scholar' or 'learned one', derived from the Dutch surname Schuyler. Used as a given name in English-speaking countries from the late 20th century.
Skilar is a unisex name of English origin, representing an uncommon spelling variant of Skylar — itself an anglicized form of the Dutch surname Schuyler. The Schuyler family were prominent Dutch settlers in colonial New York; their surname derived from the Dutch word for 'scholar' or 'teacher'. The name crossed from surname into given-name use in the English-speaking world through the 20th century, with various spellings proliferating as it became more popular. Skilar is one of the rarer spelling variants in the Skylar family, giving it a distinctly individual character while remaining phonetically identical to its more common cousins.
The broader Skylar name family owes a large part of its modern popularity to the TV series Breaking Bad, in which Skyler White was a central character played by Anna Gunn. The show ran from 2008 to 2013 and had an enormous cultural footprint, keeping the name in frequent conversation. The Dutch Schuyler roots also connect to genuine American history — the Schuyler family included Philip Schuyler, a Revolutionary War general and US senator, and his daughter Eliza, who married Alexander Hamilton. The musical Hamilton brought renewed attention to the Schuyler name, which indirectly benefits all its spelling variants including Skilar.
Skilar is extremely rare — it peaked at just #4615 in the US, with no significant charting data in the UK or Canada. This makes it one of the more unusual choices in the Skylar spelling family, which also includes the far more common Skylar and Skyler. Parents who choose Skilar are typically drawn to the Skylar sound but want something genuinely distinctive — a name that looks slightly unexpected on paper while being instantly pronounceable out loud. It's a true rarity, which in today's naming climate is increasingly seen as a feature rather than a drawback.
Skilar means 'scholar' or 'learned one', inherited from the Dutch surname Schuyler which the name ultimately derives from. It's a meaning with genuine substance — naming a child Skilar is, etymologically speaking, naming them after the pursuit of knowledge.
All three spellings are phonetically identical and all acceptable, but they differ in popularity. Skylar is the most common spelling in the US, Skyler is a close second, and Skilar is the rarest of the three — it peaked at only #4615 in the US. Choosing Skilar gives you the same name with a spelling that's genuinely uncommon.
Skilar is gender-neutral, used for both boys and girls. Across all its spellings, the Skylar name has trended increasingly toward girls over the past two decades, but it remains in use for boys as well. The Skilar spelling in particular doesn't lean noticeably in either direction.
The honest answer is that Skilar will require occasional spelling correction — most people will default to Skylar or Skyler when writing it down. Whether that's a problem depends on how much you value spelling distinction. The upside is that Skilar is immediately pronounceable (everyone gets it right on the first try), so the unusualness lives only on paper, not in everyday conversation.