Etymology

, from + ; 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. It can also be explained by anglo-saxon ōs 'god' and gār 'spear' (see Oswald, Osborn, Oswid, Osric, Oslak)

Proper noun

1. .
2. A statuette awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
3. The letter O in the ICAO spelling alphabet.

Quotations

• 1765 James Macpherson, The Poems of Ossian, Tauchnitz 1847, page 192:

  My son, though alone, is brave. Oscar is like a beam of the sky: he turns around, and the people fall.

• 2005 Marc Cerasini, etc, Operation Hell Gate, HarperEntertainment, ISBN 0060842245, page 134:

  Had a funny first name, like Oscar or maybe - no! I remember now. It was Felix. Felix Tanner.

Proper noun

1. , a variant spelling of Oskar.

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Proper noun

1. , a variant spelling of Oskar.

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Proper noun

1. , a variant spelling of Oskar.

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Usage notes

Borne by two kings, the name was very popular in 19th century Sweden; returned to favor in the end of the 20th century.