Connor

KON·er · 2 syllables

Connor is comfortably familiar.

Meaning: Lover of hounds — Or lover of wolves.

87/100

Strong Practical Fit

Balanced across pronunciation, everyday use, lifetime fit and international use.

Name Profile

Pronunciation & Spelling
Effortless
A documented English pronunciation is on file: KON-er.
91/100
Everyday Use
Low risk
95/100
Growing Up
Strong lifetime fit
Works comfortably across child and adult settings.
82/100
International Use
Broad international fit
Works cleanly across the assessed languages and writing systems.
85/100

NAME DETAILS

CLOSE SPELLINGS: Conner

ORIGIN & HISTORY

About the name

Connor descends from the Old Irish royal name Conchobhar, borne by the legendary King Conchobar mac Nessa of the Ulster Cycle, and was anglicized into its modern form by the Hiberno-Normans before becoming, centuries later, one of the most popular boys' names in both Ireland and the United States. Most sources agree on 'lover of hounds/wolves' as the core meaning of Conchobhar, though a minority of secondary aggregator sources offer an alternate 'high will/desire' gloss for the same root — flagged here as a genuine minor disagreement in secondary interpretation rather than a settled academic dispute.

Conchobhar (Old/Modern Irish). Lover of hounds (or lover of wolves).

POPULARITY

Connor over time

United States

#166RANK

Rank #166 gives national context, not a classroom forecast.

Recognizable without feeling automatic. Ranked #166 in the U.S., 2025.

SourceU.S. Social Security Administration · 2025 release

Pronunciation & Forms

SAY IT

KON·er

STRESS ON THE FIRST SYLLABLE

CLOSE SPELLINGS

Conner

OTHER-LANGUAGE FORMS

ConorIrish/Gaelic spelling
Conchobharoriginal Irish form

PRACTICAL LIFE

How This Name Lives

AT SCHOOL & DAY TO DAY

Connor is a friendly, easy-to-say name for a child, fitting comfortably alongside other popular 1990s-2000s peer names without feeling unusual.

INTO ADULTHOOD

Connor reads as approachable, contemporary, and professionally solid for an adult — an Irish-heritage name that has become mainstream enough in English-speaking countries to feel neutral rather than ethnically marked.

Cultural Footprint

In ancient Celtic culture the hound (wolfhound) symbolized war, loyalty, and protection, giving the literal meaning 'lover of hounds' connotations of loyalty and courage beyond a simple animal association, per aggregator summaries of onomastic sources; the single-"n" spelling Conor is considered the more traditionally Gaelic form, while the double-"n" Connor is the standard anglicized spelling.

TRACEABLE ORIGIN

Connor McDavidCanadian professional ice hockey player, widely regarded as one of the NHL's greatest modern players
Connor PaoloAmerican actor · Gossip Girl, Revenge
Conchobar mac Nessasemi-legendary king of Ulster in Irish mythology's Ulster Cycle

Community Impressions

Connor feels approachable and modern, but carries genuine legendary-Irish roots underneath — an anglicized royal name from Ulster's mythic cycle that became a mainstream American and Irish favorite in the 1990s.

How this name is commonly received · not used in the score

More about Connor

FORMALITY

Connor works equally well as a full formal name and a casual everyday name; it does not have a widely used separate nickname form.

Names around it

Conor Conner Rory

EDITORIAL SYNTHESIS

The Decision

Connor is spelled without unusual letter patterns, and it holds up in everyday use. Surname-dependent compatibility remains unassessed until a surname is added.

STRENGTH

A documented English pronunciation is on file. Uses standard characters that systems widely handle cleanly.

BEST FIT

Everyday Use is the strongest-scoring part of this name — no obvious nickname traps, rhymes, or initial issues detected.

FULL-NAME CHECK