Conor

About Conor

Conor is an Anglicized form of Irish Conchobar and modern Conchúr. Its Old Irish elements connect hounds with desire, commonly understood as a fondness for hounds. The name joins a deep Irish storytelling tradition with a compact English spelling, and modern bearers include playwright Conor McPherson and musician Conor Oberst.

Meaning and related forms

Conchobar combines cú, “hound,” “dog,” or “wolf,” with cobar, “desiring.” The first element appears in the form con within the compound. Conor presents that older name in a spelling suited to English, while Conchúr is a modern Irish form.

Connor, with a doubled n, is a close variant, and Conner belongs to the same broader group. Conor is usually pronounced KON-er in English, with stress on the first syllable. Its two syllables and single middle n give it a concise written shape without cutting it down to a nickname.

An Irish legendary connection

Conchobar mac Nessa is a central king in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. His stories include his tragic desire for Deirdre and conflict with Queen Medb of Connacht. The familiar modern Conor thus has a connection with a substantial body of Irish narrative.

The legendary king belongs to the history of storytelling rather than a securely dated modern biography. The older name was also borne by Irish rulers, giving the family both literary and historical associations. Conor is one of the forms through which that long-established name continues in ordinary use.

Conor McPherson and The Weir

Irish playwright Conor McPherson wrote The Weir, first staged at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in London in July 1997. Set in a rural Irish pub, it brings together local men who tell stories to a woman before hearing a story from her.

The play won the 1999 Olivier Award for Best New Play. Its attention to listening, memory, and the unsettling power of a well-told tale gives Conor a particularly apt modern literary association alongside the older Ulster stories. McPherson's work made the name visible on theater programs and book covers internationally.

Conor Oberst and songwriting

American singer-songwriter Conor Oberst is known for Bright Eyes and for records released under his own name. His other projects have included Desaparecidos and the Mystic Valley Band, placing the same first name across several musical identities.

His solo album Upside Down Mountain appeared in 2014 on Nonesuch. It involved collaborators including producer Jonathan Wilson and the Swedish vocal duo First Aid Kit, with recording taking place in Los Angeles, Omaha, and Nashville. That body of work gives Conor a contemporary American musical connection as well as an Irish theatrical one.

American popularity

Conor reached its largest annual count and best rank in the United States in 1993, with 1,250 boys and #232. It remained familiar in 2000, when 726 boys received the name.

The SSA recorded 489 boys in 2010 and 292 in 2025, when Conor ranked #845. Those figures track this one-n spelling separately from Connor and Conner, showing a decline from its own early-1990s peak.

How popular is Conor?

In 2025, Conor ranked #845 among boys in the United States, with 292 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1961; its largest annual count was 1,250 in 1993. 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.