2000
#1,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.42
Uncommon Last name
Connor
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name "Conchobhar," meaning "lover of hounds" or "wolf-lover."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,577 Americans carry the last name Connor. That puts it at #1,218 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,521 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Connor 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 Connor with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,521
Census rank
#1,218
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,409 bearers of the surname Connor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1218th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Connor, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Connor
The surname Connor originated from Ireland, with roots dating back to the ancient Gaelic language. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic words "Ó Conchobhair," which translate to "descendant of Conchobhar." Conchobhar was a personal name meaning "lover of hounds" or "wolfdog," reflecting the importance of hunting and canines in ancient Celtic culture.
The name Connor first appeared in historical records during the Middle Ages, notably in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name was Toirdhealbhach Ua Conchobhair, a 12th-century King of Connacht, a province in western Ireland.
Throughout Irish history, the Connor family held prominent positions and played significant roles in various regions. In the 14th century, Ruaidhri O'Connor was the last King of Connacht before the Norman invasion. The surname was also associated with the O'Connor Sligo dynasty, which ruled the territory of Sligo in northwestern Ireland for centuries.
In the 16th century, the Connor surname gained recognition beyond Ireland's borders. Conn O'Connor, born in 1561, was an Irish military commander who served in the Spanish Army of Flanders during the Eighty Years' War against the Dutch Republic.
Another notable figure was Dennis O'Connor, an Irish-born Catholic priest who lived in the 17th century. He served as the Archbishop of Armagh, the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland, from 1672 until his death in 1697.
The Connor surname has also been associated with several prominent figures in more recent centuries. For instance, James Fenimore Cooper, the renowned American novelist, was born in 1789 to a family with Irish roots that included the Connor surname.
In the 20th century, Eugene O'Connor, born in 1888, was an Irish politician and member of the first Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament, representing the Sinn Féin party. He played a significant role in the Irish War of Independence and the subsequent Irish Civil War.
Overall, the surname Connor has a rich history rooted in ancient Irish culture, with numerous notable individuals bearing the name contributing to various aspects of society, from politics and religion to literature and warfare, throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Connor
Among Census respondents with the surname Connor, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Connor 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 Connor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.2% · 22,220
- Black or African American12.3% · 3,505
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 1,140
- Two or more races3.8% · 1,082
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 283
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 179
Timeline
Historical Census data for Connor
Connor 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
#1,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,346
+1,239 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 9.95
Rank movement Down 69 places
2020
#1,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,409
-937 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 9.50
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,138 | 28,107 | 10.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,207 | 29,346 | 9.95 | +1,239 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 69 places |
| 2020 | #1,218 | 28,409 | 9.50 | -937 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 11 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 Connor 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 | #1,207 | #1,218 | -0.9% |
| Count | 29,346 | 28,409 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 9.95 | 9.50 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Connor bearers went from 29,346 to 28,409 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,207 to #1,218.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Connor
FAQ
Connor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Connor?
Name Census estimates that about 32,577 living Americans carry the surname Connor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,521 residents.
How common is Connor?
Connor ranks #1,218 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,409 people with the surname Connor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,577), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Connor.
Has Connor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Connor went from 29,346 recorded bearers to 28,409. That is a decrease of 937 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,207 to #1,218.
What does the Census say about the background of Connor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Connor, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Connor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.2% (22,220 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Connor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.2%), Black (12.3%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Connor (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 Connor mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic name "Conchobhar," meaning "lover of hounds" or "wolf-lover." 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 Connor (9.50 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 have the last name Connor?
See how many Americans have the surname Connor on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.