Oscar (given name)
Oscar | |
---|---|
Pronunciation |
/ˈɒskər/ Spanish: [ˈoskar] Portuguese: [ˈɔʃkaɾ] Italian: [ˈɔskar] German: [ˈoskaːɐ̯] |
Gender | Male |
Language(s) | Irish or Proto-Germanic |
Origin | |
Language(s) | Irish or Proto-Germanic |
Derivation | os + cara or os + gar |
Meaning | Friend of Deer or Spear of God |
Oscar or Oskar is a masculine given name derived from either Irish or Proto-Germanic.[1][2]
Oscar is the third most popular name for males born in Sweden.[3] Oskar is ranked 51 in terms of the most popular male names.[4]
Etymology
The name may be derived from two elements in Irish: the first, os, means "deer"; the second element, car, means "loving", thus deer-loving one or the like. The name is borne by a character in Irish mythology—Oscar, grandson of Fionn Mac Cumhaill. In Old English, "os" means "god" and "gar" means "spear", thus "spear of god".[1] Os- derived from Proto-Germanic *ansu-z (god, gods), as in the Old Norse name Asgeirr, Old English Osgar, or Old High German Ansger (Ansgar). The name (Oscar) was popularised in the 18th century by 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.[5] Consequently, at the time many Swedes were named Oscar. The name was given to more than a half-dozen members of Scandinavian royal houses.[6]
The surname McCusker originates as an Anglicised form of the Irish Mac Oscair as does the anglicised surname Cosgrave. The former surname may originate from Oscar, or else from a Gaelicised form of the Old Norse Ásgeirr (a personal name itself composed of the elements meaning "god" and "spear").[7]
Cognates
- Austrian, Czech, Estonian, Finnish, German, Norwegian, Polish, Scandinavian, Slovenian, Swedish, Swiss German: Oskar.
- Icelandic: Óskar.
- Danish, Dutch, English, French, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish: Oscar.
- Spanish: Óscar.
- Finnish: Oskari, Okko, Osku (a pet form of Oskari).[2]
- Latin: Anscharius.
- Latvian: Oskars.
- Scottish Gaelic: Osgar.[2]
People with the given name Oscar
- Oscar (José Oscar Bernardi, born 1954), Brazilian footballer
- Oscar (Oscar dos Santos Emboaba Júnior, born 1991), Brazilian footballer
- Oscar I of Sweden (1799–1859), King of Sweden and Norway
- Oscar II of Sweden (1829–1907), King of Sweden and Norway
- Oscar Brodney (1907–2008), American lawyer and screenwriter
- Oscar Cortínez (born 1973), Argentine marathon runner
- Oscar De La Hoya (born 1973), American boxer
- Oscar Bernadotte (1859–1953), Swedish prince and admiral
- Oscar Feltsman (1921–2013), Soviet-Ukrainian composer
- Oscar Fernandes (born 1941), Indian politician
- Oscar Lorenzo Fernández (1897–1948), Brazilian composer
- Oscar Gamble (born 1949), American baseball player
- Oscar Hammerstein I (1846–1919), German-American businessman and theatre impresario
- Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), American songwriter and musical director
- Oscar Henry Haynes Jr. (O. H. Haynes, 1920–1996), American sheriff
- Oscar Hijuelos (1951–2013), Cuban-American novelist
- Oscar Levant (1906–1972, American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor
- Oscar Lloyd (born 1997), British actor
- Oscar Niemeyer (1907–2012), Brazilian architect
- Oscar Peterson (1925–2007), Canadian jazz pianist and composer
- Oscar Pistorius (born 1986), South African sprinter
- Oscar Raise (born 1952), Italian high jumper
- Oscar van Rappard (1896–1962), Dutch footballer and hurdler
- Oscar de la Renta (1932–2014), Dominican-American fashion designer
- Oscar Robertson (born 1938), American basketball player
- Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (1918–2012), Italian politician
- Oscar Schmidt (born 1958), Brazilian basketball player
- Oscar Strático (born 1956), Argentine judoka and wrestler
- Oscar Traynor (1886–1963, Irish politician
- Oscar Wendt (born 1985), Swedish football player
- Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), Irish writer and poet
People with the given name Oskar
- 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 Dirlewanger (1895–1945), German military officer and war criminal of Nazi Germany
- Oskar Enkvist (1849–1912), Russian admiral
- Oskar Fischer (1876–1942), Czech psychiatrist and neuropathologist
- Oskar Fischer (born 1923), German (East German) politician
- Óskar Halldórsson (1921–1983), Icelandic philologist
- Oskar Heil (1908–1994), German electrical engineer and inventor
- Oskar Hoffmann (1851–1912), Baltic-German painter
- Oskar Homolka (1898–1978), Austrian film and theatre actor
- Oskar von Hutier (1857–1934), German military commander
- Óskar Jónasson, Icelandic film director and screenwriter
- Oskar Kallas (1868–1946), Estonian diplomat, linguist and folklorist
- Oskar Kallis (1892–1918), Estonian painter
- Oskar Kaplur (1889–1962), Estonian wrestler
- Oskar Kirmes (born 1995), Finnish artistic gymnast
- Oskar Klein (1894–1977), Swedish physicist
- Oskar Kokoschka (1886–1980), Austrian-British-Swiss artist, poet and playwright
- Oskar Kolberg (1814–1890), Polish ethnographer, folklorist, and composer
- Oskar Lafontaine (born 1943), German politician
- Oskar Loorits (1900–1961), Estonian folklorist
- Oskar Luts (1887–1953), Estonian writer
- Oskar Merikanto (1868–1924), Finnish musician and composer
- Oskar Morgenstern (1902–1977), Austrian-American economist
- Oskar Nedbal (1874–1930), Czech violist, composer, and conductor
- Oskar Osala (born 1987), Finnish ice hockey player
- Oskar Pfungst (1874–1933), German biologist and psychologist
- Oskar Potiorek (1853–1933), Austro-Hungarian military commander
- Oskar Roehler (born 1959), German film director
- Oskar Schindler (1908–1974), German industrialist, spy and humanitarian
- Oskar Schlemmer (1888–1943), German painter, sculptor, designer and choreographer
- Oskar Vogt (1870–1959), German physician and neurologist
People with the given name Oskari
- Oskari Friman (1893–1933), Finnish wrestler
- Oskari Frösén (born 1976), Finnish high jumper
- Oskari Mantere (1874–1942), Finnish politician
- Oskari Mörö (born 1993), Finnish hurdler
- Oskari Rissanen (1893–1957), Finnish runner
- Oskari Tokoi (1873-1963), Finnish politician
People with the given name Oszkár
- Oszkár Frey (born 1953), Hungarian canoer
- Oszkár Gerde (1883–1944), Hungarian fencer
- Oszkár Nagy (1893–1965), Hungarian painter
People with the given name Óscar
- Óscar Marcelino Álvarez (1948–2016), Argentine football player
- Óscar Álvarez (born 1977), Colombian cyclist
- Óscar Álvarez (born 1977), Spanish football player
- Óscar Chinchilla (born 1969), Guatemalan politician
- Óscar David Álvarez (born 1983), Colombian golfer
- Óscar Fernández (born 1962), Spanish fencer
- Óscar Fernández (born 1974), Spanish runner
- Óscar Fernández (born 1974), Spanish football coach
- Óscar Fernández (born 1978), Spanish judoka
- Óscar Freire (born 1976), Spanish cyclist
- Óscar Pereiro (born 1977), Spanish cyclist
- Óscar Romero (1917–1980), Salvadoran priest
- Óscar Sevilla (born 1976), Spanish cyclist
- Óscar Téllez (born 1975), Spanish football player
- Óscar Vargas (born 1964), Colombian cyclist
- Óscar Vargas (born 1980), Honduran footballer
- Óscar Vega (born 1965), Spanish boxer
- Óscar Villarreal (born 1981), American baseball player
Fictional characters with the given name Oscar or Oskar
- Oscar (Irish mythology), the warrior son of Oisín and Niamh
- Oscar Bluth, a character from the television series Arrested Development
- Oscar François de Jarjayes, the main character of the manga and anime series Rose of Versailles
- Oscar Goldman, a character from The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman
- Oscar the Grouch, a Muppet on Sesame Street
- Oscar Madison, a character from The Odd Couple
- Oscar Martinez (The Office), a character from The Office
- Oscar Shales, a fictional fugitive from the television series Prison Break
- Oskar Schell, the fictional protagonist from the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
- Oscar, a Lance Knight in the game Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
- Oscar Branning, a fictional child from EastEnders
- Oscar Osborne, a fictional child from Hollyoaks
See also
References
- 1 2 Monaghan, P. (2014). The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology. Infobase Publishing. p. 370.
- 1 2 3 Hanks, Patrick; Hodges, Flavia (2003), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198606052
- ↑ "Pojknamn 2013". Statistiska centralbyrån.
- ↑ "Svenska namn - Allt för föräldrar".
- ↑ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press, pp. 212, 354, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
- ↑ MacKillop, J. (1986). Fionn Mac Cumhaill: Celtic Myth in English Literature. p. 2.
- ↑ "McCusker Family History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 6 December 2014.