Conan
A name of Celtic origin meaning "wolf-lover" or "little wolf".
Name Census estimates that about 2,224 living Americans carry the first name Conan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Conan today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Conan births was 2023 (84 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Conan. 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.
People living today
2.2K
~ 1 in 154,116 Americans
Peak year
2023
84 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,010
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Conan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Conan from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 488 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Conan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Conan 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 Conan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Conans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 14 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Conan, while Wisconsin, Virginia, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 31 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Conan
The given name Conan has its origins in the Gaelic language, specifically derived from the Irish Gaelic "cú" meaning "hound" or "wolf," and the suffix "-án" meaning "little." The name Conan was commonly used in Ireland and Scotland during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Conan dates back to the 7th century AD, when a Scottish king named Conan Cerr ruled the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata from around 658 to 668 AD. The name also appears in ancient Irish legends and folklore, such as the tale of Conan Maol, a legendary Irish warrior and the grandson of Niall Noígiallach, a prominent king of the 5th century.
In the 11th century, Conan II of Brittany, also known as Conan the Younger, was the Duke of Brittany from 1040 to 1066. He played a significant role in the Norman conquest of England, supporting William the Conqueror's claim to the English throne.
Another notable historical figure with the name Conan was Conan of Leinster, an Irish king who ruled the Kingdom of Leinster in the 12th century. He was a prominent figure in the Norman invasion of Ireland and was involved in conflicts with the Anglo-Norman forces.
In the 20th century, the name Conan became more widely recognized due to the popularity of the fictional character Conan the Barbarian, created by the American writer Robert E. Howard in the 1930s. The character's adventures were set in the Hyborian Age, a fictional period inspired by the ancient civilizations of the Bronze Age.
Other notable individuals with the name Conan include Conan Doyle, the Scottish author best known for creating the iconic character Sherlock Holmes (1859-1930), and Conan O'Brien, the American television host and comedian (born 1963).
While the name Conan may have its roots in ancient Gaelic culture, it has transcended its historical origins and gained popularity in various cultures and contexts, particularly through its association with literature, mythology, and popular culture.
People
Conan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Conan 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
Conan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Conan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,224 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Conan 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 154,116 US residents.
Is Conan a common name?
We classify Conan as "Rare". It ranks above 94.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,342 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Conan most popular?
The single biggest year for Conan was 2023, when 84 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Conan is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Conan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Conan 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.
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.