Oscar

Meaning: Deer's friend
Origin: Irish

Meaning: God's spear
Origin: Old English

Nicknames: Ozzie, Ozzy

Boy's name · #223 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Oscar has held steady since 1880, standing at #223 in 2025. Sixty straight years of records barely move it — one of the steadiest names in American use.

Across the states

See where Oscar is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 47 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

Oscar is especially popular in Denmark, England & Wales, and Belgium.

#1 in Denmark (2025) · #8 in England & Wales (2025) · #10 in Belgium (2025) · #11 in Australia (VIC) (2025) · #17 in Australia (NSW) (2025) · #20 in Scotland (2025) · #21 in New Zealand (2025) · #25 in N. Ireland (2025) · #28 in Australia (QLD) (2025) · #32 in Ireland (2025) · #42 in Sweden (2025) · #46 in Finland (other-lang.) (2025) and 9 more.

Famous Oscars

Oscar Wilde — Irish poet, playwright, and aesthete (1854–1900)
Oscar Niemeyer — Brazilian architect (1907–2012)
Óscar Arias Sánchez — Costa Rican politician (born 1941)
Oscar Pistorius — South African sprinter and convicted murderer (born 1986)
Oscar Luigi Scalfaro — 9th President of Italy (1918–2012)

In stories & tradition

Oscar the Grouch — Sesame Street (TV series)
Oscar (Wizard of Oz) — The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (book)
Oscar — Irish mythology

What Oscars become

Among 4,649 notable people named Oscar:

Sports figures appear 1.35× more often than among typical names — e.g. Oscar, Brazilian association football player (born 1991).

Spellings & nicknames

About 540 boys a year are given Ozzy as their full name and 130 Ozzie.

Similar names: Oskar · Louis · Hosea · Arthur · Edgar · Walter

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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