Conner
Meaning of Conner
Conner—spelled with the extra n that accountants and Scrabble players quietly admire—is the Anglo-American rendering of the Old Irish Conchobhar, usually glossed as “lover of hounds” or, in looser translation, “companion of wolves.” Historically, the name rides on the shoulders of Conchobar mac Nessa, the warrior-king of the Ulster Cycle, and later on a scattering of Irish saints and medieval chiefs; today it turns up both as a given name and as a surname on everything from football jerseys to legal letterheads. In the United States, Conner crested in 2005 at rank 126 before beginning a measured descent into the 600s, suggesting that it has shifted from headline grabber to steady classic rather than vanished altogether. Linguistically, the British tongue tends to let the final r dissipate (KAH-nuh), while the American mouth holds on to it (KAH-nur), a small but telling nod to regional speech habits. For parents seeking a name that signals Irish heritage without straying into vowel gymnastics—and that pairs neatly with both rugged and polished middle names—Conner remains a quietly dependable contender; no kennel required.
Pronunciation
British English
- Pronunced as KAH-nuh (/ˈkɑːnə/)
American English
- Pronunced as KAH-nur (/ˈkɑnər/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Conner
| Conner Cappelletti, an American-born former defender for Guam, is now an assistant coach for the Richmond Kickers. |
| Conner Blair Mantz is an American marathon runner who won NCAA cross country championships, the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, and set an American half-marathon record. |
| Conner David Henry coaches the St Peter's College boys' basketball team and is a former NBA player who was drafted by the Houston Rockets and had brief stints with four teams. |
| Conner O'Malley is an American comedian and writer with Writers Guild Award nominations, known for his TV roles and marriage to Aidy Bryant. |
| Conner Mertens, a former placekicker for the Willamette Bearcats, was the first active college football player to publicly come out as bisexual. |
| Conner Reeves is an English singer-songwriter famed for his 1997 album Earthbound, released on the Wildstar label. |
| Conner Vernon is a former American professional football wide receiver who played college football at Duke and spent time with NFL teams including the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Detroit Lions. |
| Conner Vickery Smith is an American singer signed to Big Machine Records' Valory label who has charted three singles. |
