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