Oscar

English or Irish
"God spear, or deer-lover or champion warrior"

Oscar Origin and Meaning

The name Oscar is a boy's name of English, Irish origin meaning "God spear, or deer-lover or champion warrior".

Oscar is one of the most stylish Old Man Names of our era. While it's softened slightly in popularity over the past 20 years, that may be considered a very good thing.

In the nineties and the aughties, Oscar looked to be one of the grandpa names heading straight for the top of the charts, ala Elijah or Theodore. But instead of rising into the Top 100, Oscar has settled into that comfortable place between being too far in or out.

Oscar has Irish and Norse roots—Norse Oscar comes from the Old English Osgar, a variation of the Old Norse name Ásgeirr. The Irish form was derived from the Gaelic elements os, meaning "deer," and car, "loving." In Irish legend, Oscar was one of the mightiest warriors of his generation, the son of Ossian and the grandson of Finn Mac Cumhaill (MacCool).

Oscar also has remarkable international versatility. In addition to being a top name in Sweden, where it has royal connection, Oscar ranks high on popularity lists in all the English-speaking countries as well as in France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and other European and Latin American countries.

Actors Hugh Jackman and Gillian Anderson chose Oscar for their sons.Famous Oscars include Wilde (whose given name was Fingal), Isaac, Madison, Hammerstein, Peterson, de la Renta, the Academy Award, and the Grouch.

# 216 in the US

Oscar Rank in US Top 1000

# 23 on Nameberry

Oscar Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Oscar Popularity

Famous People Named Oscar

  • Oscar I (Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte) and Oscar II (Oscar Fredrik)
    Kings of Sweden
  • (Oscar
    )Claude Monet, French painter
  • Oscar Fingall O'Flaherty Wills Wilde
    Irish novelist and playwright
  • Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer
    Brazilian Modernist architect
  • Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II
    American lyricist
  • Oscar de la Hoya
    American boxer
  • Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius
    South African sprinter
  • Oscar Emmanuel Peterson
    Canadian jazz pianist
  • Oscar Isaac (Hernandez)
    Guatemalan,American actor
  • Oscar Arístides de la Renta
    Dominican fashion designer
  • Óscar Hernandez
    Spanish tennis player
  • Oscar Robertson
    American basketball player
  • Óscar Freire
    Spanish cyclist
  • Oscar Garcia
    Lopez, American designer & contestant on TV's "Under the Gunn"
  • Oscar Carl Olof
    Prince of Sweden, Duke of Skåne
  • Óscar Albeiro Figueroa Mosquera
    Colombian weightlifter
  • Oscar Morales
    YouTuber
  • Oscar Vai To'elau Kightley
    Samoan,born New Zealand actor
  • Oscar Humphries (b. 1981)
    son of actor/comedian Barry Humphries
  • Oscar Wakeman (b. 1986)
    son of keyboardist Rick Wakeman of Yes
  • Oscar Birdsall (b. 1988)
    son of actors Gwyneth Strong and Jesse Birdsall
  • Oscar Lauterbach (b. 1988)
    son of actors Heiner Lauterbach and Katja Flint
  • Oscar (b. 1995)
    son of singer Karen Cheryl
  • Oscar Mikael Bolyos (b. 1996)
    son of singers Marie Fredriksson and Mikael Bolyos
  • Oscar Nick (b. 1996)
    son of Prince Heinrich of Hanover and actress Désirée Nick
  • Oscar Maximillian Jackman (b. 2000)
    son of actor Hugh Jackman
  • Oscar (b. 2001)
    son of model Esther De Jong
  • Oscar Bruel (b. 2003)
    son of singer/actor Patrick Bruel
  • Oscar Crochu (b. 2003)
    son of tennis player Alexandra Fusai and David Crochu
  • Oscar Sampson (b. 2006)
    son of TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher and Paul Sampson
  • Oscar Griffiths (b. 2007)
    son of actress Gillian Anderson and Mark Griffiths
  • Oscar Boël O'Hare (b. 2008)
    son of Delphine Boël; grandson of King Albert II of Belgium
  • Oscar William King (b. 2009)
    son of footballer Steven King
  • Oscar John Pryor (b. 2010)
    son of radio and TV personality Jono Pryor
  • Oscar Dylan Judd (b. 2011)
    son of model Rebecca Judd and footballer Chris Judd
  • Oscar Dempsey (b. 2012)
    son of athletes Nick Dempsey and Sarah Ayton
  • Oscar Noxon
    son of TV producer Jenji Kohan and Christopher Noxon
  • Oscar Holly Marmet (b. 2016)
    son of actress Robin Tunney
  • Prince Oscar Carl Olaf of Sweden
    Duke of Skåne (b. 2016), son of Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland and Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland
  • Oscar James Ramsay (b. 2019)
    son of British chef, restaurateur, & TV personality Gordon Ramsay
  • Oscar Piastri
    Australian Formula 1 Driver

Oscar in Pop Culture

  • Oscar
    Irish mythological warrior; son of Oisín and Niamh
  • Oscar Nicodemus Pendleton
    character in "The Author's Apprentice"
  • Oscar Madison
    a main character in The Odd Couple series
  • Oscar the Grouch
    Muppet on TV's "Sesame Street"
  • Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs
    full name of the Wizard of Oz
  • Baby Oscar
    character in movie "Ghostbusters II"
  • Oscar Martinez
    character on US TV series "The Office"
  • Oscar Bluth
    George Bluth's twin brother on TV's "Arrested Development"
  • Oscar
    catfish in animated series "Fish Hooks"
  • Oscar
    character on animated series "True Jackson VP"
  • Oscar Pine
    character in the web series "RWBY"
  • Oscar François de Jarjayes or Lady Oscar
    the main character in "The Rose of Versailles" anime and manga
  • Oscar Goldman
    character on TV's The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman
  • Oscar Shales
    character on TV's Prison Break
  • Oscar
    a Lance Knight in video game Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
  • Oscar Blaketon
    character in British TV series Heartbeat
  • Oscar Branning
    character on British soap EastEnders
  • Oscar Osborne
    character on British soap Hollyoaks
  • Oscar
    knight in the video game Dark Souls
  • Oscar
    minor character on TV's "The Walking Dead"
  • "Oscar
    " 1991 movie and a minor character
  • Oscar
    nickname of the Academy Award
  • George Oscar Bluth
    (GOB) oldest son of Lucille and George Bluth on Arrested Development