Oscar

OS-kur

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The name Oscar means “God's spear, or deer friend.” It comes from the Irish language tradition.

Of Old Irish and Old Norse origin, possibly from 'os' (god) and 'cara' (friend), or Norse 'Ásgeirr.' Famous as a name in Irish mythology and popularized globally by writer Oscar Wilde.

Wiktionary describes Oscar's exact origin as disputed, and says the modern name is a conflation of two originally unrelated names: one from Irish mythology, the name of Fionn Mac Cumhaill's grandson, analyzed as deer + friend, and a separate Óscar/Oskar formed from elements meaning god + spear (compare Oswald). One Wiktionary entry adds an alternative reading, that the name probably derives from a word for outsider or newcomer, as against the traditional deer-and-friend analysis. So the existing 'os (god) + cara (friend)' gloss given elsewhere blends elements from these two separate readings rather than reflecting either one directly.

Per Wiktionary, the name was revived by James Macpherson in his Ossian poems (1765), and Napoleon, an admirer of the Ossianic poems, chose it for his godson, who went on to become a king of Sweden; it is first recorded as a Swedish given name in 1803. Wikipedia adds only that Oscar/Oskar is a masculine name of English, Old Norse, and Irish origin. Nothing here confirms the Oscar Wilde association sometimes cited, and the Academy Award nickname's own origin is separately disputed per the source, attributed either to Bette Davis or to Margaret Herrick.

• Oscar Wilde
• Oscar Isaac
• Oscar de la Renta

Sibling names that share Oscar's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.