| Connor | Nolan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | lover of hounds/wolves (disputed) | Champion |
| Origin | irish | Irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KON-er | NOH-lun |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1913 | 1881 |
| Peak year | 2004 (10,049) | 2015 (5,739) |
| In 2025 | 2,211 | 4,846 |
| Trend | Declining | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Connor | Nolan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 19,074 | 30,357 |
| 2010s | 68,270 | 50,045 |
| 2000s | 85,985 | 26,374 |
| 1990s | 57,391 | 11,791 |
| 1980s | 3,319 | 4,678 |
| 1970s | 233 | 2,006 |
| 1960s | 84 | 1,494 |
| 1950s | 39 | 1,960 |
| 1940s | 50 | 2,003 |
| 1930s | 23 | 1,822 |
| 1920s | 47 | 1,674 |
| 1910s | 31 | 1,021 |
| 1900s | 0 | 174 |
| 1890s | 0 | 75 |
| 1880s | 0 | 31 |
From the Old Irish Conchobar, usually read as 'con' ('hound', sometimes extended to 'wolf') plus 'cobar' ('desiring'), hence 'lover of hounds' or 'wolf-lover'. The wolf sense is secondary to 'hound' and the early elements are debated, so the wolf connection is DISPUTED and flagged.
Nolan comes from the Irish Ó Nualláin, linked to “champion” or “noble.”
Nolan is more popular than Connor today: about 4,846 US babies were given the name Nolan in 2025, compared with 2,211 named Connor.
Connor means lover of hounds/wolves (disputed) (irish origin), while Nolan means Champion (Irish origin).
In US records, Connor first appears in 1913 and Nolan in 1881, so Nolan has the longer recorded history.