Where does the name Oscar come from?

Oscar is a boy name of Old English origin.

Is Oscar a boy or a girl name?

Oscar is used for both. In U.S. Social Security records, about 1% of children given the name Oscar are girls and 99% are boys.

How popular is the name Oscar in 2023?

Oscar ranks #216 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 2006 with 3,607 babies.

How do you pronounce Oscar?

Oscar is pronounced OS-kar (2 syllables).

What are common spellings of Oscar?

Oscar is also written as Oskar, Ósgar, Óscar.

A name from Old English · Boy

Oscar

From Old English os ('god') + gar ('spear'); 'god's spear'. Also reinforced by Old Norse Ásgeirr. Used by James Macpherson in his 18th-century Ossian poems, sparking a Romantic-era revival.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

209,809 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

1,702 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

OFrom Old English os ('god') + gar ('spear'); 'god's spear'. Also reinforced by Old Norse Ásgeirr. Used by James Macpherson in his 18th-century Ossian poems, sparking a Romantic-era revival.

Variants & spellings

3 ways to spell "Oscar".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Oskar Most common Ósgar Óscar

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Oscar.

O
Oscar Wilde (author and wit)
O
Oscar de la Renta (designer)
O
Oscar (the Academy Award statuette)

Quick answers

People often ask about Oscar.

What does the name Oscar mean?: Oscar means from Old English os ('god') + gar ('spear'); 'god's spear'. Also reinforced by Old Norse Ásgeirr. Used by James Macpherson in his 18th-century Ossian poems, sparking a Romantic-era revival.
Where does the name Oscar come from?: Oscar is a boy name of Old English origin.
Is Oscar a boy or a girl name?: Oscar is used for both. In U.S. Social Security records, about 1% of children given the name Oscar are girls and 99% are boys.
How popular is the name Oscar in 2023?: Oscar ranks #216 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 2006 with 3,607 babies.
How do you pronounce Oscar?: Oscar is pronounced OS-kar (2 syllables).
What are common spellings of Oscar?: Oscar is also written as Oskar, Ósgar, Óscar.

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From the Middle English surname todde meaning 'fox' — a nickname applied to a cunning or fox-haired person

About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.