| Conor | Donovan | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Lover of hounds | dark brown-haired |
| Origin | Irish | irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KON-er | DON-oh-vuhn |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1961 | 1900 |
| Peak year | 1993 (1,250) | 2003 (2,211) |
| In 2025 | 292 | 609 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Conor | Donovan |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 3,021 | 4,115 |
| 2010s | 6,939 | 12,289 |
| 2000s | 5,938 | 19,329 |
| 1990s | 8,244 | 12,239 |
| 1980s | 2,676 | 4,553 |
| 1970s | 482 | 3,750 |
| 1960s | 80 | 1,813 |
| 1950s | 0 | 876 |
| 1940s | 0 | 717 |
| 1930s | 0 | 866 |
| 1920s | 0 | 719 |
| 1910s | 0 | 335 |
| 1900s | 0 | 83 |
Conor, from Conchobhar, is usually read “lover of hounds” or “desiring.”
Anglicized from Irish O Donndubhain, from 'donn' meaning 'brown' and 'dubh' meaning 'black, dark' — commonly rendered 'dark brown-haired' or 'dark-haired chieftain'.
Donovan is more popular than Conor today: about 609 US babies were given the name Donovan in 2025, compared with 292 named Conor.
Conor means Lover of hounds (Irish origin), while Donovan means dark brown-haired (irish origin).
In US records, Conor first appears in 1961 and Donovan in 1900, so Donovan has the longer recorded history.