Why has Oscar become crazily popular?

[fionadal]

In a previous thread, I wondered whether Oscar Pistorius would put people off the name Oscar.It has tainted it for me. But having read the "last 5 boys you know to be born" thread, I now see that it certainly hasn't affected other people! Oscar seems to feature in almost every list!

I'm now interested in how it suddenly became so popular? When DS1 was born 4 years ago,there were a few. But now it's everywhere - I wouldn't be surprised if it became no. 1 soon?

So was there a celeb that named their son Oscar? A film that featured one? Soap opera? Why is is the boy's name on everyone's minds? Just interested really!

I don't know what sparked it but I know LOTS too.

Doesn't stop it being a nice name and each one is the only one to their parents

No idea, I have a 12 yr old Oscar and it wasn't popular when we chose it. These things come and go I was surprised it had jumped ten places from 17 to 7 in last years ons statistics. I know a few little Oscars all under 6. My Oscar is the only one in his year group at school.

Will be interesting to see what happens next year and the year after!

Oh and our Oscar was just because we liked it and because of Oscar the grouch who Dp and I have both always loved.

'tis because I am a trendsetter & that is DS's name - he is mid teens now.

9 years ago, it wasn't even top 50. That appealed to us.

Because it's a nice name!

I was obsessed by the book Oscar and Lucinda and always wanted to call a boy Oscar, I even had that conversation with DH when we first met. That was nearly 20 years ago though and I didn't have a DS until 2 years ago by which time it had risen in popularity so much we decided against it. Still love the name but he would have been Oscar 2/3/4 or Oscar Initial everywhere.

I have an Oscar in his 20's and when we named him everyone was " you do know Oscar Wilde was err....gay?!"

No idea why it has become so popular now. I remember when my ds was about 8 and we heard a woman calling her dh Oscar in Tesco. My ds was because he had never met anyone in real life with his name.

If DD had been a boy she would have been Oscar. Almost as soon as she was born I went off it, and it hasn't even been close to consideration for Dc2 due in December.

I haven't met any Oscars born since she was either (she's 4.5) but I know about half a dozen older than her, ranging from 6yo to mid twenties.

Posted too soon. It seems to have had its day where we are, but from the 'last 5 boys' thread, that's clearly not the case nationwide.

All the ones I know are 4,5 and 6.

Of 15 boys in my DD's class at primary school, 2 were called Oscar.

Max Branning had a baby Oscar in Eastenders a few years back and that was the first time I'd heard it for a baby.

I have an Oscar in his twenties too. He was named after Gunter Grass's The Tin Drum. it's one of my favourite books ever.

I loved the book Oscar and lucinda too.

Well, in 2009 it was at place 23 according to the ONS, so it was pretty popular even when your DS was born. It had risen 63 places since 1999, so it was in the top 100 even then, and names in the top 100 are always prone to rising.

It wasn't the highest riser in the top 50. Lucas, Archie, Jayden, Riley, Logan, Leo and Finley were all higher risers from the 2009 top 50.

I think what happens a lot these days is that people try and avoid a super popular name, but don't want to be too 'out there'. So they look outside the top 20, or outside the top 50.

Archie and Oscar were traditional names, but less popular than things like Jack, which were already feeling a bit overdone. So they rose up. Then there is an element to which they enter the consciousness and lots of people say they like them, and if they aren't bothered about popularity as much those names stick around.

I wanted to name ds oscar, but the lady in the bed next to me had called her son it first when I have birth.... In my hormonal state I thought everyone would think I was copying her, and so ds instead was unnamed for 4 days while I came up with an alternative

My brother wants to call his kid Oscar after watching Shark's Tale (animated Will Smith from years ago. Lol. I couldn't say why most people like it tho.