UK name, mostly boys
Connor
Wolf lover; strong-willed, wise and favored leader.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Connor is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Connor popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #264, with 177 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1998, with 5,155 births.
This profile covers 53,072 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 3% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 63,476 living people in the UK are called Connor. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Connor ranked #264 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 177 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1998, when 5,155 boys were registered as Connor.
- • Connor ranks best in North East in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #1 in 1998.
- • About 63,476 living people in the UK are estimated to have Connor as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 100.0% of Connor registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#264
2024
Births in 2024
177
Latest year
Peak year
1998
5,155 births
Estimated living
63,476
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Connor
In England and Wales birth records, Connor has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 100.0% of registrations are for boys and 0.0% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Connor registered for boys
- Ranked #264 in 2024
- 177 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 1998 (5,155 births)
Connor registered for girls
- Ranked #3,174 in 1997
- 4 girls registered in 1997
- Peak: 1997 (4 births)
Meaning
What does Connor mean?
The name Connor has its origins in the Irish language, derived from the Gaelic "Conchobhar" or "Conchúr." This name dates back to ancient Celtic times and is composed of two elements: "con" meaning hound or wolf, and "cobhar" meaning desire or desire for victory. The name can be interpreted as "hound of desire" or "lover of wolves."
In Irish mythology, Conchobhar mac Nessa was a legendary king of Ulster in the 1st century AD, known for his role in the epic tale of the Táin Bó Cuailnge (The Cattle Raid of Cooley). This ancient text features prominently in the Irish literary tradition and has helped to keep the name Connor alive throughout the centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Connor dates back to the 7th century AD, when a Conchobhar mac Nessa was mentioned in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. Over the centuries, the name has been spelled in various ways, including Conchobhar, Conchúr, Conchobar, and Conor, before eventually settling on the modern English spelling of Connor.
Notable historical figures who bore the name Connor include Connor O'Brien (c. 1532-1583), an Irish prince and military leader who fought against English forces during the Tudor conquest of Ireland. Another prominent figure was Connor Maguire (c. 1616-1645), an Irish nobleman and soldier who played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s.
In more recent times, the name Connor has been carried by individuals such as Connor Cruise (born 1995), the son of actors Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, and Connor McDavid (born 1997), a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Edmonton Oilers.
Other notable individuals named Connor throughout history include Connor O'Leary (c. 1786-1828), an Irish rebel and leader during the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and Connor Randall (born 1995), an English professional footballer who currently plays for Hartlepool United.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Connor over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Connor in England and Wales, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Connor, the clearest high point is 1998. The latest England and Wales figure is 177 births in 2024, compared with 5,155 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Connor by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Connor was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #219 | 1,186 | 5 |
| 2010s | #90 | 8,835 | 10 |
| 2000s | #32 | 24,211 | 10 |
| 1990s | #15 | 18,840 | 4 |
Geography
Where Connor is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Connor. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Connor ranks best in North East in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #1 in 1998.
Across the UK
Connor in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#88 in 2024
40 years of NRS records, 9,813 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#164 in 2024
28 years of NISRA records, 1,216 total registered
Related
Names similar to Connor
- Charlie 104,761
- Callum 65,796
- Cameron 40,394
- Charles 33,091
- Christopher 26,849
- Caleb 15,553
- Corey 12,622
- Carter 11,505
- Cody 11,075
- Conor 10,298
- Christian 9,695
- Cole 8,762
FAQ
Connor: questions and answers
How popular is the name Connor in the UK right now?
In 2024, Connor was ranked #264 for boys in England and Wales, with 177 births registered.
When was Connor most popular?
The peak year on record was 1998, with 5,155 babies registered as Connor in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Connor?
Wolf lover; strong-willed, wise and favored leader.
How many people are called Connor in the UK?
A total of 53,072 babies have been registered as Connor across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 9,813 more in Scotland and 1,216 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Connor most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Connor ranks best in North East, where it placed #1 in 1998. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.