Oscar
Meaning of Oscar
Oscar slips easily across languages, sounding like a crisp salute in English (AH-sker) and a warmer OH-skar in Spanish or Italian. Etymologists usually point to the Old Irish Oscur, “deer-friend,” a heroic figure in the Fenian legends, while a dissenting camp favors the Old Norse “God’s spear”—two etymologies that leave the name straddling forest and battlefield with equal poise. It arrived in the United States with 19th-century immigrants, climbed into the Top 100 during the silent-film era, and has settled in recent decades around the 200 mark—common enough to avoid puzzled looks, uncommon enough to feel distinctive. Cultural associations are plentiful: the wit of Oscar Wilde, the shine of an Academy Award, and the grouchy charm of Sesame Street’s trash-can philosopher all lend the name a certain range. In short, Oscar offers parents a neatly packaged mix of literary pedigree, pop-culture sparkle, and just a hint of mischief, all in five straightforward letters.
Pronunciation
English
- Pronunced as AH-sker (/ˈɒskər/)
Spanish,Italian
- Pronunced as OH-skar (/ˈoskar/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Oscar
| Oscar Wilde was an Irish author and playwright, a leading Victorian dramatist and Aestheticism figure, best known for The Picture of Dorian Gray, his witty epigrams and plays, and his 1895 conviction for gross indecency. |
| Oscar Isaac Hernandez Estrada is an acclaimed American actor known for breaking Latino stereotypes, with a Golden Globe, an Emmy nomination, and honors from Vanity Fair, the New York Times, and Time 100. |
| Oscar De La Hoya is a Mexican American boxing legend and promoter, a 1992 Olympic lightweight gold medalist who won 11 world titles in six weight classes and is widely regarded as one of the greatest. |
| Oscar Robertson, the Big O, is an American basketball legend who starred for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks, was a 12 time All Star and 1964 MVP, became the first to average a triple double in 1962, and helped lead the Bucks to their first title in 1971. |
| Oscar Hammerstein II was an American lyricist, librettist, and musical theater producer-director whose nearly 40-year career yielded 850 co-written songs, many now standards, and won him eight Tony Awards and two Academy Awards for Best Original Song. |
| Oscar de la Renta, a Dominican fashion designer trained by Cristobal Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo, rose to fame in the 1960s dressing Jacqueline Kennedy, worked at Lanvin and Balmain, and built a global fashion house based in New York. |
| Oscar I of Sweden - Oscar I ruled Sweden and Norway from 1844 until his death as the second monarch of the House of Bernadotte. |
| Prince Oscar Bernadotte was a Swedish royal and religious activist, second son of King Oscar II, who lost his Swedish titles after marrying contrary to the constitution and was later styled Prince Bernadotte and Count of Wisborg in Luxembourg. |
| Oscar Luigi Scalfaro was an Italian statesman who served as President of Italy from 1992 to 1999 after 44 years in the Chamber of Deputies, moving from Christian Democracy to independence and later the center left. |
| Ezequiel Oscar Scarione is a retired Argentine professional footballer. |
| Óscar Romero - Salvadoran Catholic archbishop Oscar Romero spoke out against injustice and was assassinated in 1980, a killing later linked by a UN truth commission to Roberto D Aubuisson. |
