boy's name
Conner
KON-ur
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 63,204
the United States
#864
2025 births
Conner means desiring hounds rather than loving them — the Irish joins a word for a hound or wolf to one meaning desire, and the softer lover of hounds gloss smooths over what was a warrior's name.
- Conner is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 2005, when 3,229 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 11,592 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1915.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Conner over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 39 |
| 1920s | 48 |
| 1930s | 50 |
| 1940s | 44 |
| 1950s | 35 |
| 1960s | 36 |
| 1970s | 39 |
| 1980s | 691 |
| 1990s | 13,172 |
| 2000s | 25,117 |
| 2010s | 15,296 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 2,695 |
What Conner means
Conner means one who desires hounds, or wolf-lover. The Irish compound joins an animal word to a word for wanting, and in context the animal stands for a fighter.
Where Conner comes from
Conner anglicizes Ó Conchobhair, descendant of Conchobhar — built on cú, a hound or wolf, joined to an element generally read as desiring. Calling a warrior a hound was standard praise in Irish: Cú Chulainn is the hound of Culann. Conchobar mac Nessa is the king of Ulster in the Ulster Cycle, in whose court the Táin unfolds. The O'Connors were one of the great royal families, supplying the last High Kings of Ireland.
Conner in use
Conner peaked in the United States in 2005, when 3,229 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 864th in the United States on 286 births and 3912th in England and Wales on 5, across 63,204 lifetime births in three of the seven markets we track. England and Wales ran its own peak of 301 births in 1998, seven years before the American one.
How popular is Conner?
In 2025, Conner was given to 286 babies in the United States, ranking #864 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Conner is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Conner
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Conner also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Conner over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Conner in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Conner
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Conner — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Conner
What does the name Conner mean?
One who desires hounds — cú, a hound or wolf, with an element meaning desiring.
Why is a hound a compliment?
Calling a warrior a hound was standard praise in Irish. Cú Chulainn is the hound of Culann.
Is it Conner or Connor?
Connor is the commoner spelling; Conner is a variant with its own substantial history.
Who were the O'Connors?
A royal family who supplied the last High Kings of Ireland.
How popular is the name Conner?
In 2025, Conner was given to 286 babies in the United States, ranking #864 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Conner a girl's or a boy's name?
Conner is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Conner?
Conner has 2 syllables.
When was Conner most popular?
Conner peaked in 2005, when 3,229 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
Is Conner a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Conner currently ranks #864 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.