Boy nameCurrently #217 in the USFalling
Oscar
OSS-ker//ˈɒskər//
2 syllablesPeak year: 20065 lettersStarts with O
Meaning & origin
Deer lover, or divine spear
Oscar comes from Irish elements often translated as 'deer lover' or 'friend of deer', found in Irish mythology as the grandson of the hero Fionn mac Cumhaill, though it can also connect to Germanic roots meaning 'divine spear'. Its dashing, literary sound is closely tied to Oscar Wilde.
Oscar's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Oscar |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 544 |
| 1881 | 530 |
| 1882 | 625 |
| 1883 | 607 |
| 1884 | 615 |
| 1885 | 623 |
| 1886 | 650 |
| 1887 | 574 |
| 1888 | 647 |
| 1889 | 577 |
| 1890 | 635 |
| 1891 | 551 |
| 1892 | 639 |
| 1893 | 574 |
| 1894 | 601 |
| 1895 | 549 |
| 1896 | 539 |
| 1897 | 543 |
| 1898 | 551 |
| 1899 | 447 |
| 1900 | 568 |
| 1901 | 428 |
| 1902 | 397 |
| 1903 | 427 |
| 1904 | 442 |
| 1905 | 436 |
| 1906 | 412 |
| 1907 | 483 |
| 1908 | 476 |
| 1909 | 466 |
| 1910 | 505 |
| 1911 | 636 |
| 1912 | 1,164 |
| 1913 | 1,256 |
| 1914 | 1,561 |
| 1915 | 1,802 |
| 1916 | 1,924 |
| 1917 | 1,970 |
| 1918 | 2,124 |
| 1919 | 1,996 |
| 1920 | 2,018 |
| 1921 | 1,996 |
| 1922 | 2,020 |
| 1923 | 1,889 |
| 1924 | 1,826 |
| 1925 | 1,764 |
| 1926 | 1,728 |
| 1927 | 1,649 |
| 1928 | 1,473 |
| 1929 | 1,501 |
| 1930 | 1,484 |
| 1931 | 1,355 |
| 1932 | 1,269 |
| 1933 | 1,122 |
| 1934 | 1,106 |
| 1935 | 1,098 |
| 1936 | 1,021 |
| 1937 | 995 |
| 1938 | 1,035 |
| 1939 | 1,008 |
| 1940 | 943 |
| 1941 | 1,029 |
| 1942 | 964 |
| 1943 | 1,083 |
| 1944 | 917 |
| 1945 | 946 |
| 1946 | 1,027 |
| 1947 | 1,119 |
| 1948 | 1,106 |
| 1949 | 1,130 |
| 1950 | 1,112 |
| 1951 | 1,074 |
| 1952 | 1,096 |
| 1953 | 1,204 |
| 1954 | 1,279 |
| 1955 | 1,161 |
| 1956 | 1,139 |
| 1957 | 1,209 |
| 1958 | 1,076 |
| 1959 | 1,090 |
| 1960 | 1,068 |
| 1961 | 1,041 |
| 1962 | 1,012 |
| 1963 | 1,027 |
| 1964 | 1,011 |
| 1965 | 997 |
| 1966 | 943 |
| 1967 | 939 |
| 1968 | 902 |
| 1969 | 1,015 |
| 1970 | 1,051 |
| 1971 | 1,078 |
| 1972 | 1,121 |
| 1973 | 1,076 |
| 1974 | 1,207 |
| 1975 | 1,247 |
| 1976 | 1,244 |
| 1977 | 1,285 |
| 1978 | 1,325 |
| 1979 | 1,322 |
| 1980 | 1,411 |
| 1981 | 1,473 |
| 1982 | 1,497 |
| 1983 | 1,386 |
| 1984 | 1,440 |
| 1985 | 1,603 |
| 1986 | 1,584 |
| 1987 | 1,676 |
| 1988 | 1,740 |
| 1989 | 1,975 |
| 1990 | 2,350 |
| 1991 | 2,465 |
| 1992 | 2,606 |
| 1993 | 2,867 |
| 1994 | 2,871 |
| 1995 | 2,748 |
| 1996 | 3,014 |
| 1997 | 2,987 |
| 1998 | 3,017 |
| 1999 | 3,144 |
| 2000 | 3,186 |
| 2001 | 3,203 |
| 2002 | 3,250 |
| 2003 | 3,315 |
| 2004 | 3,363 |
| 2005 | 3,468 |
| 2006 | 3,607 |
| 2007 | 3,556 |
| 2008 | 3,563 |
| 2009 | 3,124 |
| 2010 | 2,670 |
| 2011 | 2,378 |
| 2012 | 2,197 |
| 2013 | 2,242 |
| 2014 | 2,321 |
| 2015 | 2,304 |
| 2016 | 2,261 |
| 2017 | 2,048 |
| 2018 | 1,956 |
| 2019 | 1,891 |
| 2020 | 1,766 |
| 2021 | 1,697 |
| 2022 | 1,890 |
| 2023 | 1,701 |
| 2024 | 1,656 |
Oscar through the decades
- Oscar peaked in 2006, when 3,607 babies were named Oscar in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Oscar has fallen 34% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Oscar currently ranks #217 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Oz
Variants & spellings
Óscar
Famous people named Oscar
- Oscar Wilde — writer