by Nicole Williams

Created on: January 28, 2008

ETYMOLOGY:
Pronounced "KAH-ner", the name Connor means "wolf lover" or "hound lover" in Celtic, Irish, and Scottish (Gaelic).

ORIGIN & HISTORY:
Connor is an Anglicized form of "Conchobhar" (of Gaelic origin). Conchobar MacNessa was the King of Ulster at the time of Christ.

Perhaps the history of the first name Connor comes from the surname Connor, which is very common in Ireland. The surname is derived from the surname O'Conner, which is Anglicized from O'Conchobhar meaning "descendent of Conchobhar".

The earliest known immigrant with the Connor surname was William Connor, who settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He arrived on the "Fortune" in 1621, only one year after the "Mayflower".

POPULARITY:
The name Connor didn't reach the top 1,000 most popular boys' names until the year 1981, when it was ranked at number 921. It didn't reach the top 100 until 1992. Though the name has managed to stay in the top 100 most popular names for boys, the highest it ever got in ranking was to number 38 in 2004.

FASCINATING FACTS:
Action Figure: There is a 12 inch action figure of Connor McCleod, the main character in the television series and movie "Highlander". This action figure is a collectors' item.

Foundation: The Connor's Heroes Foundation is a non-profit organization that helps the children and families of the children that are being treated for cancer at the Children's Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia. This foundation's members are all volunteers and they raise money to help the families of these victims of cancer.

The foundation was named for a little boy named Connor, who was 22 months old when he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. After two and a half years of treatment, Connor went into remission and remains in remission today. His family knows and understands the hardships of families in this situation, so they started this foundation to give back, in hopes to help others.

NAMESAKES:
Among the fictional characters named Connor, there is Connor Gavin from the television series "Rescue Me", Connor Banks in the movie "My Story, Alaska", Connor McGill in the movie "Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood", and Connor Rooney in the movie "Road to Perdition". Also among the list of fictional characters named Connor are the comic book characters Connor Hawke, better known as "The Green Arrow" from DC comics and Connor Trevane, an NYPD detective in the comic book "Spider-Man".

In the United States, there are three canyons called "Conner Canyon": one in Arizona, one in Nevada, and one in Oregon; and there's a "Connors Mine" in Colorado. In Canada, there's a Connors, New Brunswick.

FAMOUS PERSONS:
Famous Connors include Conner Henry, a professional basketball player, and Conner Robertson, a professional baseball player. Famous people that have children named Connor are Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Patrick Duffy, and Jean Smart.

NAME VARIANTS:
There are two name variants for Conner: Conner and Conor.

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