Baby name meaning

Oscar

Spear of the gods · Old Norse origin

Meaning & origin

Oscar is a male name of Old Norse origin, meaning “Spear of the gods”.

How popular is Oscar?

In England & Wales, Oscar ranked #9 among boys' names in 2024, with 2,747 babies given the name, close to its #8 of 2014. Its strongest year in the England & Wales series is 2013, when it reached #7.

In the United States, Oscar was the #214 boys' name in the 2020 data, after peaking at #29 in 1880.

Oscar is a sharply British choice: #9 in England & Wales against #214 in the US.

Oscar — popularity rank over timePopularity rank of the boys' name Oscar over time, lower rank number = more popular. England and Wales annual rank 1996 to 2024. United States rank sampled one year per decade, 1950 to 2020.#1#10#100#1,00019501960197019801990200020102024US 1950: #192US 1960: #245US 1970: #225US 1980: #176US 1990: #135US 2000: #122US 2010: #147US 2020: #214England & Wales 2024: #9United StatesEngland & Wales
Oscar’s popularity rank over time — England & Wales annual rank (solid) and United States rank sampled once per decade (dashed), #1 at the top. Log scale: each gridline is 10× the rank above it.
Oscar in England & Wales: rank and births in sampled years, plus its peak year. Source: ONS ‘Baby names in England and Wales’.
YearE&W rankBirths
1996#129307
2000#91611
2005#551,262
2010#203,035
2013#74,511
2015#104,066
2020#73,268
2024#92,747

Famous Oscars

More on Oscar

Top ten in England and Wales, fiercely Old Norse in meaning, and somehow still the cosiest name going.

Oscar: a spear of the gods in a school jumper — Oscar as our Name of the Day.

Swipe & match on Oscar in Settle