Schuyler
A Dutch surname tied to shelter or refuge, likely from a word for hiding or protecting.
The #9,347 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 88,720 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally explained from Dutch schuil, meaning "shelter" or "hiding place," with schuiler meaning "one who hides" or "one who takes shelter." Older writers also connected it with a place-based form, essentially "from the shelter" or "from the place of refuge." The etymology is therefore Dutch and topographic in sense, even though the exact original form is not fully certain.
History
The name is best known in Dutch-American history, especially through the influential Schuyler family of colonial New York. In English-speaking America the spelling has remained fairly stable, though the pronunciation shifted to "SKY-ler." Later Dutch-name lists and surname studies continue to treat it as a recognizable Dutch surname, sometimes grouped with other names that became anglicized in form.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The name became especially prominent in America through Philip Schuyler, a major Revolutionary-era figure and U.S. senator.
From the historical record
“maker. / SCHUYLER. (Dutch.) Van Schuykr, from the place of shelter. Schuiler, a hiderj Schuil, a shelter, a hiding- place. Schuler, German, a scholar. SCOTT. A native of Scotland. Nennius uses both Scythce and Scotti indifferently. Strabo considers Scythce and No- modes synonymous terms. The original word in Ossian…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names