2000
#36,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 575
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Conran
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'Comhráin" meaning "descendant of the wolf lover".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 666 Americans carry the last name Conran. That puts it at #40,598 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 514,646 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conran 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 Conran with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
666
1 in 514,646
Census rank
#40,598
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
581
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 581 bearers of the surname Conran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 40598th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conran, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Conran
The surname Conran is of Irish origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Conran" or "Conran", which means "little hound" or "wolf cub". The name was initially found in County Galway and the surrounding regions of western Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Conran can be traced back to the Annals of Inisfallen, a chronicle of medieval Irish history dating back to the 12th century. The annals mention an individual named "Conran Ua Duibh" who was involved in a conflict in the year 1166.
The Conran surname also appears in the Pipe Rolls of Cloyne, a collection of financial records from the late 12th century related to the Diocese of Cloyne in County Cork. These rolls list several individuals with the surname, suggesting its widespread use in the region.
In the 16th century, the Conran family was well-established in County Galway, particularly in the area around Gort. Notable figures from this time include Fergal Conran (c. 1520 - 1585), a prominent landowner and chieftain, and Rory Conran (c. 1550 - 1612), who fought alongside the Irish forces during the Nine Years' War against English rule.
During the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in the 17th century, many Conran families were dispossessed of their lands and forced to relocate to other parts of the country. This led to the spread of the surname beyond its traditional stronghold in western Ireland.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure was Dermot Conran (1725 - 1798), a successful merchant and landowner from County Galway. He was known for his involvement in local politics and his support for Irish independence movements.
The 19th century saw the emigration of many Conrans from Ireland to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. One notable individual from this period was Michael Conran (1840 - 1912), an Irish-American soldier who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and later became a successful businessman in New York.
Other notable individuals with the surname Conran include Terence Conran (1931 - 2020), a renowned British designer and restaurateur who was instrumental in the revival of the British design industry in the 20th century, and Jasper Conran (born 1959), a fashion designer and the son of Terence Conran, who has achieved significant success in the fashion world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conran
Among Census respondents with the surname Conran, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Conran 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 Conran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 544
- Two or more races3.1% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 11
- Black or African American0.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conran
Conran 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
#40,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 548
-27 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 3,344 places
2020
#40,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 581
+33 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 582 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,672 | 575 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #40,016 | 548 | 0.19 | -27 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 3,344 places |
| 2020 | #40,598 | 581 | 0.19 | +33 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 582 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 Conran 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 | #40,016 | #40,598 | -1.5% |
| Count | 548 | 581 | 6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.19 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conran bearers went from 548 to 581 (+6.0% change). The surname moved down 582 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,016 to #40,598.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Conran
FAQ
Conran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conran?
Name Census estimates that about 666 living Americans carry the surname Conran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 514,646 residents.
How common is Conran?
Conran ranks #40,598 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 581 people with the surname Conran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (666), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Conran.
Has Conran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conran went from 548 recorded bearers to 581. That is an increase of 33 (+6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #40,016 to #40,598.
What does the Census say about the background of Conran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conran, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Conran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (544 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Conran (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 Conran mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "O'Comhráin" meaning "descendant of the 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 Conran (0.19 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 are called Conran?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Conran? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.