boy's name
Oscar
OSS-kər
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 100 (E&W)
- Births on record 324,926
the United States
#223
2025 births
Oscar is a boy's name with two competing origins: the Irish os, deer, plus cara, friend, giving "deer lover," or the Old Norse Ásgeirr, meaning "god's spear." Both readings are well attested and sources genuinely disagree about which produced the modern name.
- Oscar is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in US records in 2006, when 3,607 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in US records.
- Today about 1 in 188 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Oscar over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. Oscar is more popular in England and Wales — see the country table below. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 5,992 |
| 1890s | 5,629 |
| 1900s | 4,535 |
| 1910s | 14,938 |
| 1920s | 17,864 |
| 1930s | 11,493 |
| 1940s | 10,263 |
| 1950s | 11,442 |
| 1960s | 9,953 |
| 1970s | 11,953 |
| 1980s | 15,786 |
| 1990s | 28,069 |
| 2000s | 33,635 |
| 2010s | 22,270 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 10,346 |
What Oscar means
Oscar means either deer friend, from Irish, or god's spear, from Norse. The Irish reading is the one usually given, but the Norse route is not a fringe theory — the two names met in medieval Ireland and may simply have merged.
Where Oscar comes from
In Irish legend Oscar is the son of Oisín and grandson of Fionn mac Cumhaill, a warrior of the Fianna. That name is read as os, deer, with cara, friend, which fits a cycle of stories in which Oisín's own name means little deer. The competing account derives Oscar from Old Norse Ásgeirr, from áss, god, and geirr, spear, which Norse settlers carried into Ireland from the ninth century. The modern popularity of the name has a clear source either way: James Macpherson's Ossian poems of the 1760s were read across Europe, and Napoleon admired them enough to become godfather to a boy named Oscar, who went on to reign as Oscar I of Sweden. That is how an Irish legendary name became a Scandinavian royal one.
Oscar in use
Our data shows Oscar peaking in the United States in 2006 and falling since, while it holds at 8 in England and Wales. The Academy Award nickname, in use since the 1930s, has never damaged the name's standing.
How popular is Oscar?
In 2025, Oscar was given to 2,798 babies in England and Wales, ranking #8 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Where Oscar is used
England and Wales figures withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year. The historical chart above uses US records, the only series running back to 1880. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Oscar
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Oscar also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Oscar over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
3 nicknames for Oscar
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Oscar in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Oscar
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Oscar — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Oscar
What does the name Oscar mean?
Either "deer friend," from the Irish os and cara, or "god's spear," from the Old Norse Ásgeirr. Both are seriously argued.
Is Oscar Irish or Norse?
Both traditions have a claim. The legendary Irish Oscar is older in the record, but Norse settlers brought Ásgeirr to Ireland, and the names may have merged.
Why is the Academy Award called an Oscar?
The nickname was in circulation by the early 1930s. The Academy adopted it officially in 1939, and no account of who first used it is settled.
How popular is the name Oscar?
In 2025, Oscar was given to 2,798 babies in England and Wales, ranking #8 that year. It is one of the most popular names in England and Wales.
Is Oscar a girl's or a boy's name?
Oscar is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Oscar?
Oscar has 2 syllables.
When was Oscar most popular?
Oscar peaked in 2006, when 3,607 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Oscar?
Oscar is usually shortened to Oz, Ozzy and Ozzie.
Is Oscar a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Oscar currently ranks #8 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.