Conner
Meaning
variant spelling of Connor, traditionally translated as 'lover of hounds'
The story
Conner is the leaner American spelling of Connor, from the Irish Conchobhar, traditionally read as lover of hounds, a name attached to legendary Ulster kings. The spelling swap is a familiar American move, trading the -or ending for the phonetic -er, and the two spellings have moved together through the same fashion: essentially absent for most of the twentieth century, climbing sharply in the 1990s, peaking across the 2000s and 2010s, and easing in the 2020s as the wave matures. Families choosing Conner today are usually choosing exactly what it looks like, the familiar Irish favorite with the spelling their eyes prefer. The hounds, presumably, answer to both. The alternate ending changes the look, not the inheritance or the sound.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Conner peaked in the 2000s and the 2010s in nearly equal measure.
When you meet Conner
Most people given the name Conner in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Conner deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Conner truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Conner fits with your family’s names and surname.
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