Oscar

Meaning

Name

1. A male given name from Irish or Old English.
2. A surname from Irish [in turn originating as a patronymic], a rare anglicization of Mac Oscair (“son of Oscar”) (McCusker).
3. A locale in the United States.
4. A locale in the United States.
5. A locale in the United States.
6. A locale in the United States.
7. A locale in the United States.
8. A locale in the United States.

Noun

1. (informal) An Academy Award.
2. A statuette awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Noun

cash; money.

Concepts

Oscar

Academy Award

academy awards

Óscar

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɑs.kɚ/

Etymology

Exact origin uncertain. Resuscitated by James Mcpherson in The Works of Ossian (1765). Napoleon, an admirer of the Ossianic poems, chose it for his godson Oscar Bernadotte, who became a king of Sweden.
The modern given name is a conflation of two unrelated names: first, Middle Irish Oscar (the name of Fionn Mac Cumhaill's grandson in Irish mythology), from Middle Irish os (“deer”) + cara (“friend”); and second, Old English Ōscār, Ōsgār (personal name, literally “spear of the gods/spear of God”), from Old English ōs (“god”) and gār (“spear”) (see Oswald). Compare German Ansgar (personal name), Danish Asker, Asger (personal name), Norwegian Asgeir (personal name), Icelandic Ásgeir (personal name).
(Academy Award): Disputed. Said to have been named by actress Bette Davis after her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson, or by secretary Margaret Herrick after her cousin Oscar Pierce.