Oswald

Oswald meaning

Oswald is a Christian boy's name of Old English origin.

God + power, rule (Old English ós, weald)

Also used to mean: divine power, god's ruler

Oswald is an Old English name built from ós, 'a god', and weald, 'power, rule', the word behind wealdan, 'to have power over'. Bosworth and Toller's Anglo-Saxon dictionary lists Ós-weald among the names formed with ós, alongside Ós-wine and Ós-lác. Name lists give it as 'divine power' or 'god's ruler'. The most famous bearer is St Oswald, the seventh-century Christian king of Northumbria who brought monks from Iona to his kingdom, and a later St Oswald was Archbishop of York. In India Oswald is used by Mangalorean and Goan Catholics.

Source: Bosworth and Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898), p. 768 · entry ós · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Bosworth-Toller, ós · Bosworth-Toller, wealdan · Wikipedia, Oswald of Northumbria

Famous namesakes

• St Oswald, 7th-century king of Northumbria

Spellings

Oswald · Oswaldo

Related names

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