2000
#2,288
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,553
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.39
Uncommon Last name
Conn
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic byname "conn," meaning "chief" or "hound."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,039 Americans carry the last name Conn. That puts it at #2,509 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,370 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conn 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 Conn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,370
Census rank
#2,509
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,987 bearers of the surname Conn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2509th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Conn
The surname Conn is of Irish origin and is believed to have originated in the county of Galway, Ireland. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "cond," which means "chief" or "leader." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who held a position of authority or leadership within their community.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Conn can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The Annals mention a Conn O'Conor, who was a king of Connacht in the 12th century.
In the 16th century, the surname Conn was recorded in various spellings, such as Conne, Coun, and Coune. These variations likely arose due to differences in pronunciation and regional dialects.
The name Conn has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Connagh and Connaught. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
One notable figure with the surname Conn was Lough Conn (c. 1570-1629), an Irish chieftain and member of the O'Connor clan. He was known for his resistance against English rule in Ireland during the early 17th century.
Another historical figure with the Conn surname was Richard Conn (1834-1898), an American businessman and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California in the late 19th century.
In the literary world, Conn was also the surname of the American writer and critic Silas Weir Conn (1925-2004), who was known for his works on the history of American literature and his criticism of modern poetry.
Other notable individuals with the surname Conn include:
1. John Conn (1726-1807), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Kentucky.
2. James Conn (1878-1963), a Scottish-American inventor and founder of the C.G. Conn musical instrument company.
3. Edward Conn (1923-2013), an American biochemist and author known for his contributions to the field of plant physiology.
4. Marie Conn (1914-2003), an American actress and dancer who appeared in Broadway productions and Hollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conn
Among Census respondents with the surname Conn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Conn 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 Conn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 12,417
- Two or more races3.6% · 508
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 425
- Black or African American2.9% · 407
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conn
Conn 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
#2,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,089
+536 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 5.12
Rank movement Down 116 places
2020
#2,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,987
-1,102 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 4.68
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,288 | 14,553 | 5.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,404 | 15,089 | 5.12 | +536 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 116 places |
| 2020 | #2,509 | 13,987 | 4.68 | -1,102 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 105 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 Conn 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 | #2,404 | #2,509 | -4.4% |
| Count | 15,089 | 13,987 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 5.12 | 4.68 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conn bearers went from 15,089 to 13,987 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,404 to #2,509.
FAQ
Conn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conn?
Name Census estimates that about 16,039 living Americans carry the surname Conn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,370 residents.
How common is Conn?
Conn ranks #2,509 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,987 people with the surname Conn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,039), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Conn.
Has Conn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conn went from 15,089 recorded bearers to 13,987. That is a decrease of 1,102 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,404 to #2,509.
What does the Census say about the background of Conn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conn, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Conn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (12,417 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Conn (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 Conn mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic byname "conn," meaning "chief" or "hound." 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 Conn (4.68 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 Americans have the surname Conn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.