Oscar

“Deer's friend, or god's spear” — Irish / Old English origin

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

Oscar has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #26 (1883) · 213,098 babies named Oscar all-time · 1 in 1,100 boys born in 2025.

Around the world: #1 in Denmark (2025) · #8 in England & Wales (2025) · #10 in Belgium (2025) · #11 in Australia (VIC) (2025) · #17 in Australia (NSW) (2025).

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

Famous Oscars

Oscar Wilde — Irish poet, playwright, and aesthete (1854-1900)
Oscar Niemeyer — Brazilian architect (1907–2012)
Oscar Pistorius — South African sprinter and convicted murderer (born 1986)
Oscar Luigi Scalfaro — 9th President of Italy (1918–2012)
Oscar II of Sweden — King of Sweden from 1872 to 1907 and Norway from 1872 to 1905 (1829–1907)

In stories & tradition

Oscar the Grouch — Sesame Street
Oscar (Wizard of Oz) — The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Oscar — mythical character

What Oscars become

Among 3,621 notable people named Oscar:

Business leaders appear 1.38× more often than among typical names — e.g. Oscar Hammerstein I, German-American businessman.

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