Skylar

Skylar drifts in like a cirrus cloud high over a prairie. An American elaboration of Skyler, which itself came from the Dutch surname Schuyler meaning scholar, it reads now less like its etymology and more like its sound, airy and open and weather-bright. It sits at 134 overall, popular for both girls and boys though tilted feminine in recent years. Two syllables, the bright K at the center and the soft R at the close. Breezy, modern, a little bit dreamy without losing its backbone. A name that suits a kid climbing a tree and, later, the same kid sketching the view from it.