Oscar

Etymology

The name Oscar finds its Original roots in Old English and Old Norse cultures which may be linked to the Norse Viking settlement of England. The Old English variation is derived from the elements "os" meaning "god" and "gar" meaning "spear," meaning “Gods Spear” thus combining into a powerful image of divine strength. Similarly, in Old Norse, which was a mutually intelligible language to Old English, Oscar is believed to translate to "spear of the gods," again reiterating a sense of noble valor. Oscar was a popular name in England until the 1066 Norman Conquest following which some Norse and Germanic names began to become less common and gradually replaced by names such as William or Henry which were more popular among the Normans.

Its Irish equivalent has an all together different meaning to its earlier Anglo-Norse counterparts. In Irish, the first, element 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.

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, Romanian, Swedish: Oscar

Spanish, Portuguese (mostly European): Óscar

Finnish: Oskari, Okko, Osku (a pet form of Oskari)

Hungarian: Oszkár

Kazakh: Askar, Asqar, Oskar

Latin: Anscharius

Latvian: Oskars

Lithuanian: Oskaras

Scottish Gaelic: Osgar

Gaeilge: Osgar/Osgur

People with the given name Oscar

Oscar I of Sweden (1799–1859), King of Sweden and Norway

Oscar II of Sweden (1829–1907), King of Sweden and Norway

Óscar Acevedo (born 1997), Nicaraguan footballer

Oscar Acosta (disambiguation), several people

Oscar Aguad (born 1950), Argentine politician

Oscar Ahumada (born 1982), Argentine footballer

Oscar Ahnfelt (1813–1882), Swedish singer, composer and music publisher

Oscar Albayalde (born 1963), Filipino police officer

Oscar Allen (footballer) (born 1999), Australian rules footballer

Oscar Dana Allen (1836–1913), American professor of chemistry

Oscar K. Allen (1882–1936), American politician, 42nd governor of Louisiana

Oscar Almgren (1869–1945), Swedish archaeologist

Oscar Ameringer (1870–1943), German-American editor, author, and organizer

Oscar Andriani (1905–1987), Italian actor and playwright

Oscar Asche (1871–1936), Australian actor, director, and writer

Oscar Aubuchon (1917–1970), Canadian ice hockey player

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 Elías Biscet (born 1961), Cuban physician and activist

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

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 Núñez (born 1958), American actor and comedian

Óscar Pereiro (born 1977), Spanish cyclist

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 Dvořák (born 1991), Slovak politician

Oskar Edlund (born 2002), Swedish hurdler

Oskar Enkvist (1849–1912), Russian admiral

Oskar Fischer (disambiguation), multiple people

Oskar Freysinger (born 1960), Swiss politician

Oskar Gröning (1921–2018), German SS Unterscharführer at the Auschwitz concentration camp

Oskar Heil (1908–1994), German electrical engineer and inventor

Fictional characters

Oscar the Grouch, a Muppet on Sesame Street

Oscar Bluth, on the television series Arrested Development

Oscar Branning, on the soap opera EastEnders

Oscar François de Jarjayes, a female protagonist on the anime series The Rose of Versailles

Oskar Greason, a character from the animated series Star vs. the Forces of Evil

Oscar Madison, the sloppy roommate in The Odd Couple media franchise

Oscar Martinez (The Office), in the American television series The Office

Oscar Osborne, on the soap opera Hollyoaks

Oscar Shales, a character on the television series Prison Break