2000
#4,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,456
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.76
Rare Last name
Conlon
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Connalláin," meaning "descendant of Connallán" (a diminutive of Conall, meaning "strong wolf").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,542 Americans carry the last name Conlon. That puts it at #4,619 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,126 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conlon surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Conlon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,126
Census rank
#4,619
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,449 bearers of the surname Conlon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4619th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conlon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Conlon
The surname Conlon originates from Ireland, with roots dating back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Gaelic name O'Conallain, meaning "descendant of Conallain," where Conallain is a diminutive form of the name Conall, which means "strong wolf" or "mighty as a wolf."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Conlon can be traced back to the 13th century in County Galway, Ireland. It was predominantly found in the western regions of Ireland, particularly in counties such as Galway, Mayo, and Sligo. The name was also associated with the ancient Irish kingdom of Connacht.
In historical records, the name Conlon appeared in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. One notable entry mentions a Brian O'Conallain, a prominent figure in County Galway during the 14th century.
Over the centuries, the name Conlon has undergone various spellings, including Conlan, Connollan, and Connellan, reflecting the fluidity of Irish naming conventions and regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
Several notable individuals have borne the surname Conlon throughout history:
1. John Conlon (1826-1887), an Irish-American politician who served as the Mayor of New York City from 1868 to 1870.
2. Michael Conlon (1810-1876), an Irish civil engineer who played a significant role in the construction of the Grand Canal in Ireland.
3. Gale Conlon (1914-1998), an American actress and dancer who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and Hollywood films.
4. Siobhan Conlon (born 1977), an Irish novelist and short story writer, known for her works exploring contemporary Irish life.
5. Patrick Conlon (1858-1927), an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Conlon Catering Company in New York City.
The name Conlon has maintained a strong presence in Ireland, and its variants can be found among Irish diaspora communities around the world, particularly in the United States, Canada, and Australia, where Irish immigrants settled in significant numbers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conlon
Among Census respondents with the surname Conlon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Conlon bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Conlon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 6,899
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 268
- Two or more races2.3% · 170
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 59
- Black or African American0.5% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conlon
Conlon appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,845
+389 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.66
Rank movement Down 120 places
2020
#4,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,449
-396 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 2.49
Rank movement Down 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,398 | 7,456 | 2.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,518 | 7,845 | 2.66 | +389 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 120 places |
| 2020 | #4,619 | 7,449 | 2.49 | -396 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 101 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Conlon surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,518 | #4,619 | -2.2% |
| Count | 7,845 | 7,449 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.66 | 2.49 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conlon bearers went from 7,845 to 7,449 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,518 to #4,619.
FAQ
Conlon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conlon?
Name Census estimates that about 8,542 living Americans carry the surname Conlon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,126 residents.
How common is Conlon?
Conlon ranks #4,619 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,449 people with the surname Conlon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,542), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Conlon.
Has Conlon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conlon went from 7,845 recorded bearers to 7,449. That is a decrease of 396 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,518 to #4,619.
What does the Census say about the background of Conlon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conlon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Conlon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (6,899 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conlon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Conlon (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Conlon mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Connalláin," meaning "descendant of Connallán" (a diminutive of Conall, meaning "strong wolf"). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Conlon (2.49 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Conlon?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Conlon, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.