Oscar (given name)

Oscar or Oskar is a masculine given name of English and Irish origin.

Etymology

The name is derived from two elements in Irish: the first, os, means "deer"; the second element, car, means "loving" or "friend", thus "deer-loving one" or "friend of deer". The name is borne by a character in Irish mythology—Oscar, grandson of Fionn Mac Cumhaill, and refers to his descent from his grandmother, Sadhbh, who was enchanted into the form of a deer.

Alternatively, it also derived from Old English Osgar "god's spear," from gar "spear" + os "god".

The name was popularised in the 18th century by Scottish poet James Macpherson, creator of 'Ossianic poetry'. Today the name is associated with Scandinavia because Napoleon was an admirer of Macpherson's work and gave the name to his godson, Joseph Bernadotte, who later became Oscar I, King of Sweden. Consequently, at the time many Swedes were named Oscar. The name was given to more than a half-dozen members of Scandinavian royal houses. Oscar was the third most popular name for males born in Sweden in 2013 and is ranked 51 in terms of the most popular male names in Sweden.

There is alternative speculation that it may be derived from the Old Norse cognate Ásgeirr (a personal name itself composed of the elements meaning "god" and "spear").

Cognates

• Austrian German, Croatian, Czech, Estonian, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Polish, Scandinavian, Slovenian, Swedish, Swiss German: Oskar.
  • Icelandic: Óskar.
• Catalan: Òscar.
• Danish, Dutch, English, French, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Swedish: Oscar.
  • Spanish: Óscar.
• Finnish: Oskari, Okko, Osku (a pet form of Oskari).
• Hungarian: Oszkár
• Latin: Anscharius.
• Latvian: Oskars.
• Lithuanian: Oskaras.
• Scottish Gaelic: Osgar.
• Gaeilge: Osgar/Osgur.

People with the given name Oscar

• Oscar (footballer, born 1954), José Oscar Bernardi, Brazilian footballer
• Oscar (footballer, born 1991), Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior, Brazilian footballer
• Oscar I of Sweden (1799–1859), King of Sweden and Norway
• Oscar II of Sweden (1829–1907), King of Sweden and Norway
• Oscar Albayalde (born 1963), Filipino retired police officer
• Prince Oscar Bernadotte (1859–1953), Swedish prince and admiral
• Oscar Brodney (1907–2008), American lawyer and screenwriter
• Oscar Bronner (born 1943), Austrian journalist and painter
• Oscar Coggins (born 1999), Hong Kong triathlon athlete
• Oscar Colás (born 1998), Cuban baseball player
• Oscar Cortínez (born 1973), Argentine marathon runner
• Oskar Dvořák (born 1991), Slovak politician
• Oscar Feltsman (1921–2013), Soviet-Ukrainian composer
• Oscar Fernandes (1941-2021), Indian politician
• Oscar Lorenzo Fernández (1897–1948), Brazilian composer
• Oscar Gamble (1949–2018), American baseball player
• Oscar Grant (1986–2009), African American fatally shot by police
• Oscar Hammerstein I (1846–1919), German-American businessman and theatre impresario
• Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), American songwriter and musical director
• Oscar Han (1891–1976), Romanian sculptor and writer
• Oscar Hijuelos (1951–2013), Cuban-American novelist
• Oscar Holmes (1916–2001), first African-American Naval Aviator and air traffic controller
• Oscar De La Hoya (born 1973), American boxer and boxing promoter
• Oscar Isaac (born 1979), American actor
• Oscar Jacobson (1882–1966), Swedish-born American painter and museum curator
• Oscar James (born 1942), Trinidadian actor
• Oscar Kahl (born 1997), Thai football player
• Oscar Krokstedt (1908–1985), Swedish Navy vice admiral
• Oscar Levant (1906–1972, American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor)
• Oscar Lloyd (born 1997), British actor
• Oscar Malapitan (born 1955), Filipino politician
• Oscar Niemeyer (1907–2012), Brazilian architect
• Oscar Osterman (1894–1956), Swedish Army officer
• Oscar Peterson (1925–2007), Canadian jazz pianist and composer
• Oscar Piastri (born 2001), Australian racing driver
• Oscar Pistorius (born 1986), South African convicted murderer and ex-Olympic sprinter
• Oscar Raise (born 1952), Italian high jumper
• Oscar Randal-Williams (born 1984) British mathematician
• Oscar van Rappard (1896–1962), Dutch footballer and hurdler
• Oscar de la Renta (1932–2014), Dominican-American fashion designer
• Oscar Robertson (born 1938), American basketball player
• Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (1918–2012), Italian politician
• Ossie Schectman (1919–2013), American basketball player who scored the first basket in National Basketball Association history
• Oscar Schmidt (born 1958), Brazilian basketball player
• Oscar J. Smith (1859–1937), American lawyer and politician
• Oscar Strático (born 1956), Argentine judoka and wrestler
• Oscar Traynor (1886–1963), Irish politician
• Oscar Tshiebwe (born 1999), Congolese basketball player
• Oscar Wendt (born 1985), Swedish football player
• Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), Irish writer and poet
• Oscar Lawton Wilkerson (1926-2023), American pilot

People with the given name Oskar

• Prince Oskar of Prussia (1888–1958), German Prince (Prince of Prussia)
• Oskar Alexander (1876–1953), Croatian painter
• Oskar Anderson (1887–1960), German-Russian mathematician
• Oskar Andersson (1877–1906), Swedish cartoonist
• Oskar Angelus (1892–1979), Estonian politician
• Oskar Backlund (1846–1916), Swedish-Russian astronomer
• Oskar Baum (1883–1941), Czech music educator and writer
• Oskar Deutsch (born 1963), Austrian entrepreneur and President of the Jewish Community of Vienna
• Oskar Dirlewanger (1895–1945), German military officer and war criminal of Nazi Germany
• Oskar Edlund (born 2002), Swedish hurdler
• Oskar Enkvist (1849–1912), Russian admiral
• Oskar Fischer (disambiguation), multiple people
• Oskar Gröning (1921 – 2018), German SS Unterscharführer at the Auschwitz concentration camp
• Oskar Heil (1908–1994), German electrical engineer and inventor
• Oskar Hoffmann (1851–1912), Baltic-German painter
• Oskar Homolka (1898–1978), Austrian film and theatre actor
• Oskar von Hutier (1857–1934), German military commander
• Óskar Jónasson, Icelandic film director and screenwriter
• Oskar Kallas (1868–1946), Estonian diplomat, linguist and folklorist
• Oskar Kallis (1892–1918), Estonian painter
• Oskar Kaplur (1889–1962), Estonian wrestler
• Oskar Kirmes (born 1995), Finnish artistic gymnast
• Oskar Klein (1894–1977), Swedish physicist
• Oskar Kokoschka (1886–1980), Austrian-British-Swiss artist, poet and playwright
• Oskar Kolberg (1814–1890), Polish ethnographer, folklorist, and composer
• Oskar Lafontaine (born 1943), German politician
• Oskar Loorits (1900–1961), Estonian folklorist
• Oskar Luts (1887–1953), Estonian writer
• Oskar Matute (born 1972), Basque politician
• Oskar Merikanto (1868–1924), Finnish musician and composer
• Oskar Morgenstern (1902–1977), Austrian-American economist
• Oskar Nedbal (1874–1930), Czech violist, composer, and conductor
• Oskar Osala (born 1987), Finnish ice hockey player
• Oskar Painter, Canadian physicist
• Oskar Pfungst (1874–1932), German biologist and psychologist
• Oskar Potiorek (1853–1933), Austro-Hungarian military commander
• Oskar Roehler (born 1959), German film director
• Oskar Schindler (1908–1974), German industrialist, spy and humanitarian
• Oskar Schlemmer (1888–1943), German painter, sculptor, designer and choreographer
• Panda Eyes (born 1996), Oskar Steinbeck, Swiss DJ and music producer
• Oskar Vogt (1870–1959), German physician and neurologist

People with the given name Oskari

• Oskari Friman (1893–1933), Finnish wrestler
• Oskari Frösén (born 1976), Finnish high jumper
• Oskari Mantere (1874–1942), Finnish politician
• Oskari Mörö (born 1993), Finnish hurdler
• Oskari Rissanen (1893–1957), Finnish runner
• Oskari Tokoi (1873-1963), Finnish politician

People with the given name Oszkár

• Oszkár Frey (born 1953), Hungarian canoer
• Oszkár Gerde (1883-1944), Hungarian 2x Olympic champion sabre fencer
• Oszkár Nagy (1893–1965), Hungarian painter

People with the given name Óscar

• Óscar Marcelino Álvarez (1948–2016), Argentine football player
• Óscar Álvarez (cyclist) (born 1977), Colombian cyclist
• Óscar Álvarez (footballer) (born 1977), Spanish football player
• Óscar Alzaga (born 1942), Spanish jurist, academic and politician
• Óscar Chinchilla (born 1969), Guatemalan politician
• Óscar David Álvarez (born 1983), Colombian golfer
• Óscar de Marcos (born 1989), Spanish footballer
• Óscar Fernández (fencer) (born 1962), Spanish fencer
• Oscar Dovale (tv personality on tv shopping ) ( born 1974) qvc tv
• Óscar Fernández (athlete) (born 1974), Spanish runner
• Óscar Fernández (football manager) (born 1974), Spanish football coach
• Óscar Fernández (judoka) (born 1978), Spanish judoka
• Óscar Freire (born 1976), Spanish cyclist
• Óscar Gutiérrez (born 1974), American professional wrestler better known as Rey Mysterio
• Óscar Pereiro (born 1977), Spanish cyclist
• Óscar Romero (1917–1980), saint and Salvadoran Archbishop
• Óscar Sevilla (born 1976), Spanish cyclist
• Óscar Téllez (born 1975), Spanish football player
• Óscar Valdez (born 1990), Mexican professional boxer
• Óscar Vargas (cyclist) (born 1964), Colombian cyclist
• Óscar Vargas (footballer) (born 1980), Honduran footballer
• Óscar Vega (born 1965), Spanish boxer
• Óscar Villarreal (born 1981), American baseball player

Fictional characters with the given name Oscar or Oskar

• Oscar the Grouch, a Muppet on Sesame Street
• Oscar (Irish mythology), the warrior son of Oisín and Niamh
• Oscar Bluth, a character on the television series Arrested Development
• Oscar François de Jarjayes, a female protagonist on the anime series The Rose of Versailles
• Oscar Goldman, a character on The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman
• Oscar Madison, a character on The Odd Couple
• Oscar Martinez (The Office)
• Oscar Osborne, a character on Hollyoaks
• Oscar Shales, a character on the television series Prison Break
• Oskar Schell, the protagonist in the novel Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
• Old Oscar, a biplane on Jay Jay the Jet Plane
• Oscar, a Lance Knight character in the video game Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
• Oscar, a lion in the Ice Age movies
• Oscar, a fish in Shark Tale
• Oscar, Captain Tangent's parrot on WordGirl
• Oskar Eriksson, the protagonist in the novel Let the Right One In
• Oscar Fishtooth, a character on Fish Hooks
• Oskar Greason, a character from the animated series Star vs. the Forces of Evil
• Oscar Hidalgo, a character in Ang Probinsyano
• Oscar, the titular character on cartoon series Oscar's Oasis
• Oscar Pine, a character in the animated web series RWBY
• Oscar, a character from odd squad

See also

• List of Irish-language given names
• Oskarsson, which also includes Oscarsson and Óskarsson

References