Oscar
Has two sources: an Irish name read as deer friend, spread by James Macpherson's Ossian poems, and the Germanic Ansgar, meaning god's spear.
Oscar in 2025
Oscar was given to 1,620 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 424th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 2,047 babies born.
The history of Oscar
Oscar reached its highest point in 2006, when 3,607 babies were given the name, ranking 214th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 79th, in 1882.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 214,168 babies have been named Oscar. Half of them were born before 1982, which places the name's centre of gravity with Millennials.
Oscar by decade
| Decade | Babies named Oscar | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5,992 | 79 |
| 1890s | 5,629 | 100 |
| 1900s | 4,535 | 163 |
| 1910s | 14,938 | 177 |
| 1920s | 17,864 | 216 |
| 1930s | 11,493 | 268 |
| 1940s | 10,263 | 346 |
| 1950s | 11,442 | 417 |
| 1960s | 9,953 | 501 |
| 1970s | 11,953 | 376 |
| 1980s | 15,786 | 303 |
| 1990s | 28,069 | 228 |
| 2000s | 33,635 | 213 |
| 2010s | 22,270 | 266 |
| 2020s | 10,346 | 363 |
Where Oscar is heading
Oscar has fallen 30% over the past decade, from 2,304 babies in 2015 to 1,620 in 2025.
Names like Oscar
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Oscar.