Given name & surname · also English, Irish Gaelic
Oscar
“a spear of the gods”·“a friend of deer”
Oscar is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a spear of the gods” and “a friend of deer”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a spear of the gods” and “a friend of deer”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Irish Gaelic, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
One proposed formation combines os (“deer”) and cara (“friend”).
The story
Its naming history includes an association with the Ossianic poems popularized in the eighteenth century.
Oscar through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 214,168
- 213,098 boys · 1,070 girls
- Most popular year
- 2006
- 3,607 babies
- 2025
- 1,620
- #223 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −14%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 1,620 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 223 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 13.5% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 3,601 in 2006. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (267). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 212,946 as a first name in 2020; 1,875 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Oscar’s family of names
In English usage, Oscar has a diminutive in Ozzie. Oscar shares a linguistic root with Oskar. In English usage, Oscar has a conventional equivalent in the German form ANSGAR.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Oscar has relatives in 19 languages. Lines run from its Irish roots to each of them.
19 related names in 19 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 14
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 16
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Oscar
- Oscar WildeIrish poet, playwright, and aesthete (1854-1900)
- Oscar NiemeyerBrazilian architect (1907–2012)
- Gustaf VKing of Sweden from 1907 to 19501858–1950
- Oscar Luigi Scalfaro9th President of Italy (1918–2012)
- Gustaf VI AdolfKing of Sweden (1950–1973); anthropologist, art historian, collector and archaeologist1882–1973
- Oscar IIKing of Sweden from 1872 to 1907 and Norway from 1872 to 1905 (1829–1907)
- OscarBrazilian association football player (born 1991)
- Oscar I of SwedenKing of Sweden and Norway between 1844–1859 (1799–1859)
- Oscar PetersonCanadian jazz pianist (1925–2007)
Characters named Oscar: Wizard of Oz (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Oscar, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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