# Oscar (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/oscar/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Irish [in turn originating as a patronymic], a rare anglicization of Mac Oscair (literally “son of Oscar”) (McCusker).

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 1,781 |
| US rank (2010) | 16,214 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 173,355 people |
| Change since 2000 | +26% (1,417 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɑs.kɚ/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

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.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Oscar in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 29% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 43% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 18% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 5.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.7% |

## Similar surnames

Oser, Osorio, Oshiro, O'Gara, Okoro, Ocker, Osoria, Osier, Ozer.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.