2000
#10,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,666
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Sklar
A Jewish occupational surname referring to a glazier or glass maker, derived from the Polish word "szklar."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,828 Americans carry the last name Sklar. That puts it at #12,074 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,200 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sklar surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,200
Census rank
#12,074
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,466 bearers of the surname Sklar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12074th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sklar, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sklar
The surname Sklar originates from the Slavic region, with roots that can be traced back to the 9th century. It is believed to have its origins in the area that is now modern-day Poland and Ukraine. The name is derived from the Slavic word "skala," which means "rock" or "cliff," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near a rocky or mountainous terrain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sklar can be found in the "Metryka Koronna," a collection of historical records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth dating back to the 15th century. This document mentions a certain "Mikołaj Sklar," who was a landowner in the region of Galicia (now part of western Ukraine) in the year 1452.
During the 16th century, the name Sklar began to spread throughout Eastern Europe, with variations in spelling such as "Skliar" and "Skljar" appearing in various records from the region. Notable individuals from this period include Hryhoriy Sklar, a Cossack leader who fought against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the mid-17th century.
As the centuries progressed, the Sklar name continued to be prevalent in Eastern Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. In the 19th century, a prominent figure bearing this surname was Oleksandr Sklar, a Ukrainian writer and journalist who played a significant role in the Ukrainian cultural renaissance of the late 19th century (born in 1839, died in 1900).
Another notable individual with the Sklar surname was Mykola Sklar, a Ukrainian mathematician and educator who lived from 1848 to 1923. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and was a respected academic in his time.
In the 20th century, the Sklar name gained recognition beyond Eastern Europe, particularly in the United States. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was David Sklar, an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the clothing company Sklar Pepis (born in 1922, died in 2014).
It is worth noting that the Sklar surname has also been found in other parts of the world, such as Israel and Latin America, likely due to migration patterns and the dispersal of Slavic communities over time. However, its roots can be firmly traced back to the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, where it has a rich and long-standing history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sklar
Among Census respondents with the surname Sklar, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sklar bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Sklar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 2,284
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 102
- Two or more races2.0% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sklar
Sklar appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#11,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,692
+26 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 693 places
2020
#12,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,466
-226 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 430 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,951 | 2,666 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,644 | 2,692 | 0.91 | +26 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 693 places |
| 2020 | #12,074 | 2,466 | 0.83 | -226 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 430 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Sklar surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #11,644 | #12,074 | -3.7% |
| Count | 2,692 | 2,466 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.91 | 0.83 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sklar bearers went from 2,692 to 2,466 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 430 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,644 to #12,074.
FAQ
Sklar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sklar?
Name Census estimates that about 2,828 living Americans carry the surname Sklar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,200 residents.
How common is Sklar?
Sklar ranks #12,074 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,466 people with the surname Sklar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,828), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sklar.
Has Sklar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sklar went from 2,692 recorded bearers to 2,466. That is a decrease of 226 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,644 to #12,074.
What does the Census say about the background of Sklar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sklar, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Sklar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (2,284 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sklar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Sklar (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Sklar mean?
A Jewish occupational surname referring to a glazier or glass maker, derived from the Polish word "szklar." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Sklar (0.83 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Sklar?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Sklar, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.