boys' name ★ peaked 2006

Oscar

Meaning A male given name from Irish or Old English Gender Boy Rank 2025 #223 Trend → Stable

A male given name from Irish or Old English.

Rank 2025
#223
among boys · ↓7 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,620
named Oscar · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,054
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2006
3,607 babies
All-time total
214,168
#176 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Oscar popularity over time

214,168 babies have been named Oscar since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s 10 5,982 5,992 599 – #26
1890s 17 5,612 5,629 563 -6% #29
1900s 18 4,517 4,535 454 -19% #47
1910s 69 14,869 14,938 1,494 +229% #68
1920s 124 17,740 17,864 1,786 +20% #90
1930s 120 11,373 11,493 1,149 -36% #124
1940s 75 10,188 10,263 1,026 -11% #165
1950s 77 11,365 11,442 1,144 +11% #192
1960s 45 9,908 9,953 995 -13% #228
1970s 106 11,847 11,953 1,195 +20% #179
1980s 125 15,661 15,786 1,579 +32% #152
1990s 184 27,885 28,069 2,807 +78% #116
2000s 90 33,545 33,635 3,364 +20% #117
2010s 10 22,260 22,270 2,227 -34% #147
2020s (to 2025) – 10,346 10,346 1,724 -23% #201

Where Oscar is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 1,599 0.94 #224
2027 1,581 0.93 #226
2028 1,567 0.92 #227
2029 1,554 0.91 #229
2030 1,544 0.90 #230

Where Oscar is most popular

Boys named Oscar per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.993 per 1,000. Strongest in District of Columbia, Vermont, and Arizona.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Oscar born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
District of Columbia 41 2.78 +180%
Vermont 13 2.07 +108%
Arizona 281 1.72 +73%
New Mexico 56 1.70 +71%
Oregon 122 1.61 +62%
Massachusetts 217 1.58 +59%
California 1,438 1.57 +58%
Texas 1,379 1.57 +58%
Minnesota 189 1.54 +55%
Washington 247 1.51 +52%
Maryland 179 1.50 +51%
Maine 29 1.49 +50%
Montana 25 1.42 +43%
Wisconsin 165 1.39 +40%
Nevada 78 1.37 +38%
Colorado 175 1.36 +36%
Nebraska 58 1.33 +34%
Rhode Island 20 1.23 +23%
South Dakota 22 1.18 +19%
New York 506 1.17 +18%
Illinois 291 1.14 +15%
Oklahoma 96 1.09 +9%
North Dakota 18 1.05 +6%
New Hampshire 23 1.04 ≈ national
Kansas 70 1.02 ≈ national
Utah 95 0.995 ≈ national
Connecticut 67 0.990 ≈ national
Indiana 157 0.979 ≈ national
Idaho 39 0.953 ≈ national
New Jersey 191 0.949 ≈ national
Virginia 174 0.917 -8%
North Carolina 230 0.901 -9%
Tennessee 153 0.848 -15%
Georgia 211 0.833 -16%
Iowa 57 0.827 -17%
Kentucky 80 0.797 -20%
Missouri 109 0.786 -21%
Ohio 203 0.766 -23%
Michigan 156 0.762 -23%
Florida 353 0.746 -25%
Pennsylvania 197 0.742 -25%
Arkansas 46 0.727 -27%
South Carolina 72 0.697 -30%
Louisiana 64 0.626 -37%
Alabama 68 0.622 -37%
Alaska 5 0.420 -58%
Hawaii 6 0.386 -61%
Delaware 5 0.330 -67%
Mississippi 11 0.194 -81%
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Oscar

Oscar is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #223 in 2025 with 1,620 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 214,168 American babies have been named Oscar. Its peak came in 2006, when 3,607 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Oscar stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Oscar?

The median living Oscar is about 27 years old; half are between 17 and 45. An estimated 143 thousand people named Oscar are alive in the United States today.

median 27 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Oscar year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 1,620 #223
2024 – – 1,669 #216
2023 – – 1,702 #216
2022 – – 1,892 #201
2021 – – 1,697 #226
2020 – – 1,766 #214
2019 – – 1,892 #205
2018 – – 1,956 #206
2017 – – 2,048 #192
2016 – – 2,261 #177
2015 5 #18,461 2,299 #181
2014 – – 2,321 #184
2013 – – 2,242 #178
2012 – – 2,198 #177
2011 – – 2,378 #162
2010 5 #19,127 2,665 #147
2009 7 #14,841 3,117 #131
2008 – – 3,563 #120
2007 8 #13,610 3,548 #121
2006 6 #16,609 3,601 #118
2005 7 #14,137 3,461 #117
2004 15 #7,734 3,348 #123
2003 14 #7,891 3,301 #122
2002 17 #6,620 3,233 #120
2001 8 #11,791 3,195 #122
2000 8 #11,517 3,178 #122
1995 18 #5,383 2,730 #130
1990 22 #4,476 2,328 #135
1985 11 #6,331 1,592 #169
1980 15 #4,913 1,396 #176
1975 11 #5,407 1,235 #184
1970 8 #6,200 1,042 #225
1965 8 #5,169 989 #232
1960 – – 1,066 #245
1955 7 #5,076 1,155 #211
1950 9 #3,875 1,103 #192
1945 7 #3,930 939 #176
1940 6 #4,234 936 #167
1935 7 #3,665 1,091 #143
1930 17 #2,090 1,467 #124
1925 10 #3,307 1,754 #99
1920 12 #2,855 2,006 #90
1915 14 #2,228 1,788 #88
1910 – – 505 #73
1905 – – 436 #56
1900 5 #2,153 563 #47
1895 – – 549 #39
1890 7 #1,174 628 #29
1885 – – 623 #28
1880 – – 544 #29

Famous people named Oscar

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Oscar Isaac Oscar Isaac American actor and musician (born 1979) Contemporary
  2. 2 Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde Irish writer (1854–1900) 19th century
  3. 3 Oscar Pistorius Oscar Pistorius South African sprinter and convicted murderer (born 1986) Contemporary
  4. 4 Oscar De La Hoya Oscar De La Hoya Mexican-American boxer (born 1973) Contemporary
  5. 5 Oscar Robertson Oscar Robertson American basketball player (born 1938) Contemporary
  6. 6 Oscar Hammerstein II Oscar Hammerstein II American librettist (1895–1960) 19th century
  7. 7 Oscar Peterson Oscar Peterson Canadian jazz pianist (1925–2007) Contemporary
  8. 8 Oscar Schmidt Oscar Schmidt Brazilian basketball player (1958–2026) Contemporary
  9. 9 Oscar I of Sweden Oscar I of Sweden King of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to 1859 1799–1859 · 18th century
  10. 10 Oscar de la Renta Oscar de la Renta Dominican fashion designer (1932–2014) Contemporary
  11. 11 Oscar Niemeyer Oscar Niemeyer Brazilian architect (1907–2012) Contemporary
  12. 12 Oscar II of Sweden Oscar II of Sweden King of Sweden (1872–1907) and Norway (1872–1905) 1829–1907 · 19th century
  13. 13 Oscar Ruggeri Oscar Ruggeri Argentine footballer (born 1962) Contemporary
  14. 14 Oscar Luigi Scalfaro Oscar Luigi Scalfaro President of Italy from 1992 to 1999 1918–2012 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Oscar Swahn Oscar Swahn Swedish sport shooter 1847–1927 · 19th century
  16. 16 Oscar Pettiford Oscar Pettiford American jazz bassist and composer (1922–1960) Contemporary
  17. 17 Oscar Zariski Oscar Zariski Russian-American mathematician (1899–1986) 19th century
  18. 18 Oscar Brazilian footballer b. 1954 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Oscar Straus Oscar Straus Viennese composer (1870–1954) 19th century
  20. 20 Oscar Hertwig Oscar Hertwig German zoologist and professor 1849–1922 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Oscar, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Oscar?

The median living Oscar is about 27 years old. Half of all living Oscars are between 17 and 45 years old.

How many people named Oscar are alive today?

An estimated 143 thousand people named Oscar are alive in the United States, based on 214,168 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Oscar mean?

A male given name from Irish or Old English.

How popular is the name Oscar in 2025?

Oscar ranked #223 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,620 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Oscar?

214,168 babies have been named Oscar in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Oscar most popular?

Oscar peaked in 2006, when 3,607 newborns received the name.

Is Oscar a boy or girl name?

Oscar is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Oscar rising or falling?

Oscar is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Oscar become more popular?

Oscar looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,544 boys named Oscar in 2030, ranking around #230. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Oscar?

Well-known people named Oscar include Oscar Isaac (actor), Oscar Wilde (writer), Oscar Pistorius (athlete).

Names like Oscar

Names that sound and feel close to Oscar: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Oscar with similar names → More names starting with O →