Gender Masculine
Pronounced Pron. AHS-kər(English) AWS-kar(Italian, Swedish) AWS-KAR(French)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Possibly means "deer friend", derived from Old Irish oss "deer" and carae "friend". Alternatively, it may derive from the Old English name Osgar or its Old Norse cognate Ásgeirr, which may have been brought to Ireland by Viking invaders and settlers. In Irish legend Oscar was the son of the poet Oisín and the grandson of the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill.

This name was popularized in continental Europe by the works of the 18th-century Scottish poet James Macpherson [1]. Napoleon was an admirer of Macpherson, and he suggested Oscar as the second middle name of his godson, who eventually became king of Sweden as Oscar I. Other notable bearers include the Irish writer and humourist Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) and the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012).

Related Names

VariantsÓscar(Portuguese) Oskar(Swedish) Oskar(Norwegian) Oskar(Danish)
DiminutiveOssie(English)
Other Languages & CulturesÒscar(Catalan) Oskar(Czech) Oskar(Estonian) Oskari, Oskar, Osku(Finnish) Oskar(German) Oszkár(Hungarian) Óskar(Icelandic) Oskars(Latvian) Oskar(Polish) Oskár(Slovak) Oskar(Slovene) Óscar(Spanish)
Same SpellingÓscar, Òscar

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   simple   nerdy  

Name Days

France: February 3

Images

Oscar Wilde (1882)Oscar Wilde (1882)

Categories

Sources & References

  1. Withycombe, Elizabeth Gidley. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names. Oxford, 1945, page 104.
Entry updated January 21, 2022