The first nameOscar
A boy’s name from Irish meaning “deer”, “friend”, “spear of the gods/spear of god”.
Pronounced /ˈɑs.kɚ/ 2 syllables Male Also a surname
Meaning and origin
Irish origin
Oscar means “deer”, “friend”, “spear of the gods/spear of god” in Irish.
Exact origin uncertain. Resuscitated by James Mcpherson in The Works of Ossian (1765). Napoleon, an admirer of the Ossianic poems, chose it for his godson Oscar Bernadotte, who became a king of Sweden. The modern given name is a conflation of two unrelated names: first, Middle Irish Oscar (the name of Fionn Mac Cumhaill's grandson in Irish mythology), from Middle Irish os (“deer”) + cara (“friend”); and second, Old English Ōscār, Ōsgār (personal name, literally “spear of the gods/spear of God”), from Old English ōs (“god”) and gār (“spear”) (see Oswald). Compare German Ansgar (personal name), Danish Asker, Asger (personal name), Norwegian Asgeir (personal name), Icelandic Ásgeir (personal name). (Academy Award): Disputed. Said to have been named by actress Bette Davis after her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson, or by secretary Margaret Herrick after her cousin Oscar Pierce.
More names that mean deer, friend, god, sword.
From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Popularity
Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025
In 2025, 2,798 boys were named Oscar, making it the 8th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2013, with 4,511 births (#7).
Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Oscar with other names.
Popularity in the United States
Babies named Oscar at birth, 1880–2025
In 2025, 1,620 boys born in the United States were named Oscar, the 223rd most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 2006, when 3,601 were.
US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.
Oscar in other languages
Equivalent forms of the name, from Wiktionary
Spelled Oscar in French, Irish and Italian too.
Nicknames and spellings
Nicknames for Oscar
Famous people named Oscar
218 on Wikidata, most written-about first
- Oscar NiemeyerBrazilian architect (1907–2012)
- Oscar Luigi Scalfaro9th President of Italy (1918–2012)
- OscarBrazilian association football player (born 1991)
- Oscar PetersonCanadian jazz pianist (1925–2007)
- Oscar PiastriAustralian racing driver, born 2001
- Oscar RobertsonAmerican basketball player (born 1938)
- Oscar De La HoyaAmerican boxer and boxing promoter, born 1973
- José Oscar BernardiBrazilian association football player and manager, born 1954
- Oscar RuggeriArgentine footballer and manager, born 1962
- Óscar DuarteAssociation football player, born 1989
- Óscar Carmona11th Portuguese president (1926-1951)
- Leos CaraxFrench director and writer (born 1960)
More Irish boys’ names
Questions
- What does the name Oscar mean?
- Oscar means “deer”, “friend”, “spear of the gods/spear of god” in Irish.
- What is the origin of the name Oscar?
- Exact origin uncertain. Resuscitated by James Mcpherson in The Works of Ossian (1765). Napoleon, an admirer of the Ossianic poems, chose it for his godson Oscar Bernadotte, who became a king of Sweden. The modern given name is a conflation of two unrelated names: first, Middle Irish Oscar (the…
- How popular is the name Oscar?
- In 2025, 2,798 boys born in England and Wales were named Oscar, ranking 8th. Its peak was 2013, with 4,511 births.
- What are nicknames for Oscar?
- Common nicknames for Oscar include Ozzie.