What Does the Name Oscar Mean?

Oscar is a boy's name of Irish/Gaelic or Old English/Norse origin meaning “deer friend; or god-spear.”

Updated June 2026

Name	Oscar
Gender	male
Origin	Irish/Gaelic or Old English/Norse
Meaning	deer friend; or god-spear
Variants	Oskar, Oscur, Osgar
Popularity	Hugely popular in Scandinavia, Britain and Ireland; rising in the U.S. into the top 200.

The meaning and origin of Oscar

The name Oscar means “deer friend; or god-spear” and has Irish/Gaelic or Old English/Norse origins. Oscar has two roots: an Irish/Gaelic name from 'os' ('deer') and 'cara' ('friend'), and a Germanic/Old English name from 'os' ('god') and 'gar' ('spear'). It was popularized in the 18th century by James Macpherson's Ossian poems.

Variants and related names

Oscar is related to several other names you may recognize: Oskar, Oscur, Osgar. These share a common root or are spelling and language variants of the same name.

How popular is the name Oscar?

Hugely popular in Scandinavia, Britain and Ireland; rising in the U.S. into the top 200.

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