Con
A diminutive form of Cornelius, derived from the Latin cornū meaning "horn".
Name Census estimates that about 162 living Americans carry the first name Con. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Con today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Con births was 1925 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Con. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Con with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Con is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Cons were born before 1963.
People living today
162
~ 1 in 2,115,768 Americans
Peak year
1925
13 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1974 SSA rank
#5,356
Tracked since 1892
Census
Con in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 691 people with the first name Con, which placed it at #16,359 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#16,359
National first-name rank
People counted
691
691 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
43.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Con
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Con is White at 43.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (42.7%) and Hispanic (5.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Con described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Con at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White43.8% · 303
- Asian and Pacific Islander42.7% · 295
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 41
- Black or African American5.6% · 39
- Two or more races1.9% · 13
Popularity
Con: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Con from the 1890s through to the 1970s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 75 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Con by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Con during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Con
The name Con is a diminutive form of the name Connor, which has its origins in the Irish Gaelic language. Connor is derived from the old Irish word "condrae," meaning "desire" or "lover of hounds." The name is believed to have emerged in the 5th or 6th century AD, during the early Christian period in Ireland.
In Irish mythology, Connor was the name of the legendary king of Ulster, who was renowned for his bravery and prowess in battle. The name gained popularity in Ireland and Scotland during the Middle Ages and was often associated with the warrior class and nobility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Connor can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The annals mention a King Connor of Dalriada, who ruled in the 6th century AD.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Connor or its variants. One of the most famous was Connor MacNessa, a legendary Irish hero from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. He was said to be the greatest warrior of his time and a prominent figure in the epic tale The Cattle Raid of Cooley.
Another well-known figure was Connor III, who was the King of Connacht in Ireland from 819 to 833 AD. He was renowned for his military campaigns against the Vikings and his efforts to defend his kingdom from invaders.
In the realm of literature, Connor Cruise O'Brien (1917-2008) was an Irish diplomat, writer, and political theorist who is best known for his works on Irish nationalism and his criticisms of colonialism.
In the world of sports, Connor McDavid (born in 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League. He is widely regarded as one of the best players in the league and has won numerous awards and accolades.
Finally, Connor Franta (born in 1992) is an American YouTuber, entrepreneur, and author who gained popularity for his lifestyle and LGBTQ+ advocacy content. He has written several books and has been recognized for his efforts in promoting LGBTQ+ rights and mental health awareness.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have borne the name Connor or its diminutive form, Con, throughout history. The name has a rich heritage and has been carried by warriors, kings, writers, athletes, and activists over the centuries.
People
Con + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Con as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Con: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Con?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 162 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Con going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 2,115,768 US residents.
Is Con a common name?
We classify Con as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 389 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Con most popular?
The single biggest year for Con was 1925, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Con is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Con in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 691 people with the name Con, or 0.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,359 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Con in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Con?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Con on both sides of the split. Of the 684 people counted with this name, 544 were male (79.5%) and 140 were female (20.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Con?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Con is White at 43.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (42.7%) and Hispanic (5.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Con most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Con in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.8% (303 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Con in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Con a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Con in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Con still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Con in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Con can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Con?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.