2000
#1,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,320
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.16
Uncommon Last name
Connors
A surname of Irish origin meaning "lover of hounds" or "wolf lover," derived from the Irish word "conchobhar."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 21,694 Americans carry the last name Connors. That puts it at #1,862 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,799 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Connors 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 Connors with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,799
Census rank
#1,862
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
19K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,918 bearers of the surname Connors in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1862nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Connors, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Connors
The surname Connors has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the 12th century. It is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Ó Conchobhair," which means "descendant of Conchobhar." The name Conchobhar itself is derived from the Old Irish words "con" meaning hound and "cobhar" meaning help or favor, implying someone who was favored by hounds or a skilled hunter.
Connors is a variant spelling of the more common Irish surname Connor. In ancient Irish manuscripts and records, the name has been written as Ó Conchobhair, O'Conor, O'Connor, and various other spellings reflecting regional dialects and scribal preferences.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Connors can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled by Franciscan monks in the 17th century. The annals mention several notable figures with the surname Connors or its variant spellings, including Ruaidhri Ó Conchobhair (Rory O'Connor), the last High King of Ireland, who reigned from 1166 to 1198.
In the 14th century, the Connors were among the most powerful families in the Irish province of Connacht, where they ruled as Kings of Connacht and held significant influence and territories. Several place names in Ireland, such as Connaught (the anglicized version of Connacht) and Roscommon, are believed to be derived from the surname Connors or its variants.
Notable individuals with the surname Connors throughout history include:
1. Charles Connors (1856-1945), an American baseball player and manager in the late 19th century.
2. Marcus Aurelius Connors (1809-1877), an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.
3. Patrick Connors (1887-1957), an Irish-born American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church.
4. William Connors (1870-1944), an American politician who served as the 47th Governor of Rhode Island from 1939 to 1943.
5. John Connors (1785-1855), an Irish-born American businessman and pioneer who helped establish the city of Springfield, Illinois.
The surname Connors has a rich history rooted in ancient Irish culture, with its origins linked to powerful families, rulers, and notable figures across various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Connors
Among Census respondents with the surname Connors, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Connors 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 Connors surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 16,889
- Black or African American3.2% · 604
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 595
- Two or more races3.0% · 560
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 167
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Connors
Connors 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
#1,823
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,637
+317 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 6.66
Rank movement Down 120 places
2020
#1,862
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,918
-719 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 6.33
Rank movement Down 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,703 | 19,320 | 7.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,823 | 19,637 | 6.66 | +317 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 120 places |
| 2020 | #1,862 | 18,918 | 6.33 | -719 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 39 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 Connors 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 | #1,823 | #1,862 | -2.1% |
| Count | 19,637 | 18,918 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 6.66 | 6.33 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Connors bearers went from 19,637 to 18,918 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,823 to #1,862.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Connors
FAQ
Connors surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Connors?
Name Census estimates that about 21,694 living Americans carry the surname Connors. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,799 residents.
How common is Connors?
Connors ranks #1,862 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.33 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,918 people with the surname Connors. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (21,694), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.33 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Connors.
Has Connors become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Connors went from 19,637 recorded bearers to 18,918. That is a decrease of 719 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,823 to #1,862.
What does the Census say about the background of Connors?
Among Census respondents with the surname Connors, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Black (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Connors in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (16,889 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Connors appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Black (3.2%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Connors (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 Connors mean?
A surname of Irish origin meaning "lover of hounds" or "wolf lover," derived from the Irish word "conchobhar." 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 Connors (6.33 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 share the surname Connors?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.