boys' name ★ peaked 2016

Oskar

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,750 Trend ↓ Falling 20%

Oscar or Oskar is a masculine given name of English, Old Norse and Irish origin.

Rank 2025
#1,750
among boys · ↓20 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
93
named Oskar · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 18,366
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2016
160 babies
All-time total
3,241
#2,400 all-time among boys
First recorded
1916
in Social Security records

Oskar popularity over time

3,241 babies have been named Oskar since 1916, 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
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2016Boys

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 Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s 5 1 – #4,341
1920s 6 1 +20% #4,196
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s 11 1 – #3,818
1970s 34 3 +209% #3,875
1980s 69 7 +103% #4,097
1990s 260 26 +277% #2,341
2000s 822 82 +216% #1,287
2010s 1,318 132 +60% #1,191
2020s (to 2025) 716 119 -9% #1,279

Where Oskar 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 90 0.05 outside top 500
2027 87 0.05 outside top 500
2028 84 0.05 outside top 500
2029 82 0.05 outside top 500
2030 81 0.05 outside top 500

Where Oskar is most popular

Boys named Oskar per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.066 per 1,000. Strongest in Minnesota, Washington, and Oregon.

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 Oskar 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
Minnesota 59 0.481 +626%
Washington 31 0.189 +186%
Oregon 12 0.158 +139%
Illinois 33 0.129 +95%
Wisconsin 13 0.110 +66%
Massachusetts 14 0.102 +54%
New York 44 0.102 +53%
California 59 0.065 ≈ national
Colorado 8 0.062 -6%
Michigan 10 0.049 -26%
Pennsylvania 12 0.045 -32%
Maryland 5 0.042 -37%
Florida 12 0.025 -62%
New Jersey 5 0.025 -62%
Georgia 5 0.020 -70%
Texas 12 0.014 -79%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Oskar

Oskar is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,750 in 2025 with 93 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1916, 3,241 American babies have been named Oskar. Its peak came in 2016, when 160 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

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 Oskar stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Oskar?

The median living Oskar is about 12 years old; half are between 6 and 19. An estimated 3,200 people named Oskar are alive in the United States today.

median 12 020406080100

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

Oskar year by year

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

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 93 #1,750
2024 96 #1,730
2023 125 #1,454
2022 136 #1,378
2021 122 #1,476
2020 144 #1,279
2019 130 #1,378
2018 134 #1,345
2017 128 #1,381
2016 160 #1,191
2015 112 #1,488
2014 134 #1,315
2013 132 #1,312
2012 136 #1,290
2011 122 #1,374
2010 130 #1,320
2009 137 #1,287
2008 95 #1,638
2007 96 #1,620
2006 113 #1,406
2005 81 #1,670
2004 75 #1,713
2003 61 #1,927
2002 69 #1,705
2001 56 #1,949
2000 39 #2,462
1995 26 #2,825
1990 15 #3,914
1985 6 #6,308
1980 6 #6,033
1975 5 #6,061
1970 – –
1965 6 #3,818
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Oskar

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

  1. 1 Oskar Schindler Oskar Schindler German industrialist and humanitarian (1908–1974) Contemporary
  2. 2 Oskar Dirlewanger Oskar Dirlewanger German military officer and war criminal (1895–1945) 19th century
  3. 3 Oskar Werner Oskar Werner Austrian actor (1922–1984) Contemporary
  4. 4 Oskar Kokoschka Oskar Kokoschka Austrian dramatic, painter and writer (1886–1980) 19th century
  5. 5 Oskar Gröning Oskar Gröning Accountant in Auschwitz (1921–2018) Contemporary
  6. 6 Oskar Lafontaine Oskar Lafontaine German politician (born 1943) Contemporary
  7. 7 Oskar Potiorek Oskar Potiorek Austro-Hungarian general and official (1853–1933) 19th century
  8. 8 Oskar Morgenstern Oskar Morgenstern German economist (1902–1977) Contemporary
  9. 9 Oskar Schlemmer Oskar Schlemmer German painter, sculptor, designer and choreographer (1888–1943) 19th century
  10. 10 Oskar Fischinger German-American animator, filmmaker, and painter (1900–1967) Contemporary
  11. 11 Oskar Kummetz Oskar Kummetz German admiral (1891–1980) 19th century
  12. 12 Oskar Klein Oskar Klein Swedish physicist (1894–1977) 19th century
  13. 13 Oskar R. Lange Oskar R. Lange Polish economist and diplomat (1904–1965) Contemporary
  14. 14 Oskar von Hutier Oskar von Hutier German general during the First World War 1857–1934 · 19th century
  15. 15 Oskar Barnack Oskar Barnack German optical engineer 1879–1936 · 19th century
  16. 16 Oskar Merikanto Oskar Merikanto Finnish musician and composer (1868–1924) 19th century
  17. 17 Oskar Maria Graf Oskar Maria Graf Bavarian/American non-fiction writer 1894–1967 · 19th century
  18. 18 Oskar Pastior German poet and translator 1927–2006 · Contemporary
  19. 19 Oskar Kolberg Composer, Poland 1814–1890 · 19th century
  20. 20 Oskar von Miller Engineer, Germany 1855–1934 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Oskar?

The median living Oskar is about 12 years old. Half of all living Oskars are between 6 and 19 years old.

How many people named Oskar are alive today?

An estimated 3,200 people named Oskar are alive in the United States, based on 3,241 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Oskar mean?

Oscar or Oskar is a masculine given name of English, Old Norse and Irish origin.

How popular is the name Oskar in 2025?

Oskar ranked #1,750 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 93 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Oskar?

3,241 babies have been named Oskar in the United States since 1916, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Oskar most popular?

Oskar peaked in 2016, when 160 newborns received the name.

Is Oskar a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Oskar rising or falling?

Oskar has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Oskar become more popular?

Oskar is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 81 boys named Oskar in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Oskar?

Well-known people named Oskar include Oskar Schindler (businessperson), Oskar Dirlewanger (military personnel), Oskar Werner (actor).

Names like Oskar

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

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