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