Conner

About Conner

Conner is an English spelling of the Irish name Conor, ultimately from Conchobar. Its elements connect hounds with desire, often brought together as “lover of hounds.” Pronounced KON-er, it has a long Irish name family behind it and a much newer association with DC’s superhero Conner Kent.

From Conchobar to Conner

Conor anglicizes Conchobar, or the modern Irish form Conchúr. The older name combines cú, meaning “hound, dog, or wolf,” with cobar, “desiring.” Conner is one of several English spellings that developed around the same familiar sound.

Conchobar mac Nessa is an important king in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. His stories include his desire for Deirdre and conflict with Queen Medb of Connacht. The name’s cultural history therefore reaches much further back than its modern American spelling patterns.

Connor is another close variant, while Konnor changes the opening letter. Con could work as an informal shortening. The full Conner has just two syllables, with a strong first syllable and an unstressed er ending.

Conner Kent

DC Comics gives this exact spelling a prominent fictional bearer. Conner Kent, also known as Kon-El, is a version of Superboy introduced in 1993. He is distinct from the earlier idea of Superboy as simply a young Clark Kent.

His origin involves cloning, with later stories explaining his genetic connection to both Superman and Lex Luthor. That complicated beginning makes questions of identity and family central to his place in the Superman world.

Clark helps him find a connection with the Kent family in Smallville. He later becomes part of Young Justice with Tim Drake and Bart Allen and joins the Teen Titans. Conner Kent is the civilian identity he adopts along the way, giving an ordinary first name to a character with an extraordinary origin.

For readers, this connection places Conner in stories about a young hero finding his own place among more established figures.

Conner Ives and fashion

Designer Conner Ives provides a real-world creative association. His ensemble “The Debutante,” from fall/winter 2021–22, entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute collection.

The piece uses silk and plastic, an unusual material pairing within a design whose title evokes a formal social occasion. Its presence in the museum gives Conner an association with contemporary fashion as well as superhero fiction and Irish legend.

American popularity

Conner’s strongest American year was 2005, with 3,207 boys and a rank of 127th. That followed a steep rise from twelve boys in 1980 to 1,880 in 2000.

Use declined after the peak. In 2010, 2,440 boys received Conner; by 2025, the number was 277, ranking 864th. Conor and Connor have separate statistical histories, so the popularity of this spelling represents one part of the wider name family.

How popular is Conner?

In 2025, Conner ranked #864 among boys in the United States, with 277 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1915; its largest annual count was 3,207 in 2005. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.