| Rory | Conor | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | red king | Lover of hounds |
| Origin | irish | Irish |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | ROR-ee | KON-er |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1933 | 1961 |
| Peak year | 2025 (1,768) | 1993 (1,250) |
| In 2025 | 1,768 | 292 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Rory | Conor |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 8,172 | 3,021 |
| 2010s | 6,990 | 6,939 |
| 2000s | 2,737 | 5,938 |
| 1990s | 2,706 | 8,244 |
| 1980s | 4,738 | 2,676 |
| 1970s | 2,668 | 482 |
| 1960s | 3,737 | 80 |
| 1950s | 3,621 | 0 |
| 1940s | 462 | 0 |
| 1930s | 10 | 0 |
Anglicized form of Irish 'Ruaidhri', from 'ruadh' ('red') + 'ri' ('king') — 'red king'. Borne by Ruaidhri Ua Conchobair, the last High King of Ireland. Now also used for girls.
Conor, from Conchobhar, is usually read “lover of hounds” or “desiring.”
Rory is more popular than Conor today: about 1,768 US babies were given the name Rory in 2025, compared with 292 named Conor.
Rory means red king (irish origin), while Conor means Lover of hounds (Irish origin).
In US records, Rory first appears in 1933 and Conor in 1961, so Rory has the longer recorded history.