Oscar (given name)

Oscar or Oskar is a masculine given name. - The name of Germanic origin meaning "divine spear" or "spear god". The name is common amongst kings of Sweden. Oscar is the third most popular name for males born in Sweden in 2013[1] and is ranked 51 in terms of the most popular male names in Sweden.[2]

Oscar/Oskar
PronunciationEnglish: /ˈɒskər/
Spanish: [ˈoskaɾ]
Portuguese: [ˈɔʃkaɾ]
Italian: [ˈɔskar]
German: [ˈɔskaɐ̯]
Swedish: [ˈɔ̂sːkar]
GenderMale
Language(s)Irish and Germanic
Origin
Language(s)Irish, Germanic
Derivationos + cara
Meaning"Friend of Deer","Spear of God"

Etymology

The name is 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, and refers to his descent from his grandmother, Sadhbh, who was enchanted in the form of a deer.

Alternatively, it may derive from the Old English name OSGAR or its Old Norse cognate ÁSGEIRR, which may have been brought to Ireland by Viking (Germanic) invaders and settlers. 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.[3] Consequently, at the time many Swedes were named Oscar. The name was given to more than a half-dozen members of Scandinavian royal houses.[4]

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").[5]

Cognates

People with the given name Oscar

People with the given name Oskar

People with the given name Oskari

People with the given name Oszkár

People with the given name Óscar

Fictional characters with the given name Oscar or Oskar

See also

References
  1. "Pojknamn 2013". Statistiska centralbyrån.
  2. "Svenska namn - Allt för föräldrar".
  3. 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
  4. MacKillop, J. (1986). Fionn Mac Cumhaill: Celtic Myth in English Literature. p. 2.
  5. "McCusker Family History". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
  6. Hanks, Patrick; Hodges, Flavia (2003), A Dictionary of First Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198606052
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