| Connor | Sean | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | lover of hounds/wolves (disputed) | God is gracious |
| Origin | irish | irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KON-er | SHAWN |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1913 | 1925 |
| Peak year | 2004 (10,049) | 1990 (12,018) |
| In 2025 | 2,211 | 616 |
| Trend | Declining | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Connor | Sean |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 19,074 | 4,766 |
| 2010s | 68,270 | 21,540 |
| 2000s | 85,985 | 64,133 |
| 1990s | 57,391 | 92,003 |
| 1980s | 3,319 | 103,870 |
| 1970s | 233 | 83,819 |
| 1960s | 84 | 47,282 |
| 1950s | 39 | 5,452 |
| 1940s | 50 | 659 |
| 1930s | 23 | 101 |
| 1920s | 47 | 12 |
| 1910s | 31 | 0 |
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.
The Irish form of John (Seán), borrowed from Norman-French Jehan, ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' meaning 'God is gracious.' Anglicised variants include Shawn and Shaun.
Connor is more popular than Sean today: about 2,211 US babies were given the name Connor in 2025, compared with 616 named Sean.
Connor means lover of hounds/wolves (disputed) (irish origin), while Sean means God is gracious (irish origin).
In US records, Connor first appears in 1913 and Sean in 1925, so Connor has the longer recorded history.