- Oscar (given name)
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For other uses, see Oscar.
Oscar Gender Masculine Language(s) Irish, English Origin Language(s) Irish Derivation os + cara Meaning "deer" + "friend" Other names Cognate(s) Osgar, Oskar, Oskari Oscar is a masculine given name in the English and Irish languages. Cognates include the Scottish Gaelic Osgar, and the German and Scandinavian Oskar, and the Finnish Oskari.
Contents
Etymology
The name is derived from two elements in Irish: the first, os, means "deer"; the second element, cara, means "friend". The name is borne by a character in Irish mythology—Oscar, grandson of Fionn Mac Cumhail. The name 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, Oscar Bernadotte, who later became Oscar I, King of Sweden.[1] The given name Oscar is not to be confused with the Old English Ōsgār, which is of an entirely different origin (from two Old English elements meaning "god" and "spear").[2]
Cognates
People with the given name Oscar or Oskar
- Oscar I of Sweden, king of Sweden and Norway
- Oscar II of Sweden, king of Sweden and Norway
- Count Oscar Bernadotte of Wisborg, born Prince Oscar, Duke of Gotland, prince of Sweden and Norway
- Oscar Álvarez, Colombian road cyclist
- José Oscar Bernardi, Brazilian soccer player once known as "Oscar" (though "Oscar" by itself now in Brazil usually refers to the basketball player)
- Oscar Brodney, American lawyer-turned-screenwriter
- Oscar Cortínez, Argentine marathon runner
- Oscar De La Hoya, American boxer
- Oscar de la Renta, a Dominican-born American fashion designer
- Oscar Fernandes, Indian politician
- Óscar Fernández, Spanish long-distance runner
- Óscar Freire, Spanish cyclist
- Oscar Gutierrez, professional wrestler under stage name Rey Mysterio, Jr.
- Dr. Oskar Gerde, Hungary 2x Olympic champion saber fencer
- Oscar Hijuelos, Cuban-American novelist
- Oskar Kokoschka, artist, poet and playwright
- Oscar Levant, pianist, composer, comedian, writer, and actor
- Oskar Morgenstern, economist, co-author of a Theory of Games and Economic Behavior
- Oskar Nedbal, Czech musician
- Oscar Niemeyer, Brazilian architect
- Oskar Osala, Finnish ice hockey player
- Óscar Pereiro, Spanish cyclist
- Oscar Peterson, jazz pianist and composer
- Oscar Pistorius, South African athlete
- Oscar Raise, Italian high jumper
- Oscar van Rappard (1896–1962), Dutch athlete and football (soccer) player
- Oscar Robertson, NBA legend
- Óscar Romero, martyred priest
- Oskar Schindler, German industrialist who saved his Jewish workers from the Holocaust
- Oskar Schlemmer, German painter, sculptor, designer and choreographer associated with the Bauhaus school.
- Oscar Schmidt, Brazilian basketball player
- Óscar Sevilla, Spanish cyclist
- Oscar Strático, Argentine judoka and wrestler
- Óscar Téllez, Spanish football player
- Oscar Traynor, commander of the Dublin brigade IRA (1920-1922)
- Óscar Vargas, Colombian road cyclist
- Óscar Vega, Spanish boxer
- Óscar Villarreal, American baseball player
- Oscar Wendt, Swedish football player
- Oscar Wilde, Irish writer and poet
Fictional characters with the given name Oscar
- 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, a character from The Office
- Oskar Matzerath, main character of The Tin Drum
- 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, a fish in Fish Hooks
- Oskar, the main character in Let the Right One In
- Oscar Blaketon, character in Heartbeat
People with the given name Oskari
- Tommi Oskari Frösén, Finnish high jumper
- Pentti Oskari Kangas, Finnish singer
- Oskari Mantere, Finnish politician
- Antti Oskari Tokoi, Finnish politician
- Oskari Olavi Virta, Finnish singer
References
- ^ Hanks, Patrick; Hardcastle, Kate; Hodges, Flavia (2006), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford Paperback Reference (2nd ed.), Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 212, 354, ISBN 978-0-19-861060-1
- ^ Reaney, Percy Hilde (1995), Wilson, Richard Middlewood, ed., A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 239, ISBN 0-19-8631464.
- ^ a b c d Learn about the family history of your surname, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/default.aspx?, retrieved 17 December 2010 which cited: A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0192800507 for the given name "Oscar".
See also
- List of Irish-language given names
This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article. Categories:- Given names
- English masculine given names
- English-language masculine given names
- Irish-language masculine given names
- Scandinavian masculine given names
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