2000
#480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 62,335
First available Census row
Per 100,000 23.11
Uncommon Last name
Conner
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Conchobhair," meaning "descendant of Conchobhar" (a personal name meaning "dog lover" or "wolf lover").
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 69,982 Americans carry the last name Conner. That puts it at #545 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 20.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,898 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conner 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 Conner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
70K
1 in 4,898
Census rank
#545
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
20.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
61K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 61,028 bearers of the surname Conner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 20.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 545th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conner, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Conner
The surname CONNER has its origins in Ireland and Scotland, dating back to the medieval era around the 13th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "comharba" meaning "heir" or "successor", often referring to the heir of a religious leader or the successor of a saint. This name was commonly given to those who held hereditary roles in monasteries or ecclesiastical positions.
In Ireland, the name CONNER is believed to have originated in counties such as Antrim and Down, where it was often anglicized from the Gaelic "O'Conchobhair". This form of the name was prominent among families descended from the ancient kings of Connacht, one of the four major Irish kingdoms.
The CONNER surname can also be traced back to Scotland, where it was likely derived from the Gaelic "Conaraidh" or "Conaire", meaning "prosperous" or "high-minded". Early records show variations like "Connor" and "Connar" in areas like Argyll and the Hebrides islands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Annals of Ulster", a medieval chronicle from Ireland, which mentions a "Conchobhar mac Tomaltaigh" in the year 1166. Another notable reference is the "Domesday Book" of 1086, which lists a "Conor" as a landholder in Yorkshire, England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the CONNER surname. These include:
1. James Conner (c.1630-1718), an Irish soldier and landowner who fought in the Williamite War in Ireland.
2. Patrick Conner (1789-1842), an American frontiersman and trapper who established Fort Conner in present-day Wyoming.
3. David Conner (1792-1856), an American naval officer who served in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War.
4. Ralph Conner (1858-1942), a Canadian author and Presbyterian minister best known for his novels set in Western Canada, such as "The Man from Glengarry" (1901).
5. Ben Conner (1909-2003), an American football player and coach who played for the Chicago Bears and later coached at several universities.
While the CONNER surname has evolved over time, its roots can be traced back to medieval Ireland and Scotland, where it carried associations with hereditary roles, religious leadership, and even ancient kings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conner
Among Census respondents with the surname Conner, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Conner 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 Conner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.5% · 46,060
- Black or African American15.8% · 9,626
- Two or more races4.2% · 2,572
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,049
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 400
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 321
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conner
Conner 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
#518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 64,572
+2,237 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 21.89
Rank movement Down 38 places
2020
#545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,028
-3,544 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 20.42
Rank movement Down 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #480 | 62,335 | 23.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #518 | 64,572 | 21.89 | +2,237 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 38 places |
| 2020 | #545 | 61,028 | 20.42 | -3,544 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 27 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 Conner 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 | #518 | #545 | -5.2% |
| Count | 64,572 | 61,028 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 21.89 | 20.42 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conner bearers went from 64,572 to 61,028 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #518 to #545.
FAQ
Conner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conner?
Name Census estimates that about 69,982 living Americans carry the surname Conner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,898 residents.
How common is Conner?
Conner ranks #545 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 20.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 20 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 61,028 people with the surname Conner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (69,982), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 20.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 20.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 20 of them to have the surname Conner.
Has Conner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conner went from 64,572 recorded bearers to 61,028. That is a decrease of 3,544 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #518 to #545.
What does the Census say about the background of Conner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conner, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Conner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (46,060 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.5%), Black (15.8%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Conner (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 Conner mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O Conchobhair," meaning "descendant of Conchobhar" (a personal name meaning "dog lover" 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 Conner (20.42 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 Conner?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Conner at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.