There are three stories behind the naming of the Academy Awards being popularly known as Oscars, which started in the year 1929. Out of this, the claim of two women is strong.
The first story is related to American actress Bette Davis. She claimed that the Oscar trophy looks like her musician husband Harmon Oscar Nelson when viewed from behind, hence the name of the award. Bette was also the first female President of the Academy.
The second story concerns an American columnist named Sidney Skolsky. He was famous for writing Hollywood gossip. He claimed that the Oscar’s nickname was given to the Academy Awards. He used the Oscar nickname for this award in a 1934 article.
The third story behind the name Oscar involves librarian Margaret Harrick. In addition to being a librarian, Margaret was also the executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. He claimed that Oscar was named after his uncle Oscar.
However, there is no evidence to date as to which of the three claims was true.