Fun Facts About the Name Conan
- More than 2 thousand babies named Conan: U.S. records list 2,440 babies given the name Conan from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Conan Mean?
Conan is an English form of the Irish name Conán. It is built from Old Irish cú (genitive con), meaning "hound" or "wolf," and the diminutive suffix -án. The literal sense is "little hound" or "little wolf." The root also appears in other early Irish names, but Conan is a separate name with its own diminutive ending.
A related Brythonic name, Breton Konan and Welsh Cynan, is often connected with the same Celtic element for "hound." The exact Proto-Celtic form is not certain, so the relationship is best described as cognate rather than identical. In modern English use, the meaning is usually taken from the Irish etymology.
Conan Name History & Origins
The name is recorded in medieval Ireland as Conán. It appears in early Irish literature and genealogies. One well-known figure is Conán mac Morna, also called Conán Maol, a member of the Fianna in the Fenian Cycle. The name was used in Gaelic Ireland and later anglicized as Conan, with the accent dropped and the final -án spelled -an.
In Brittany, the related name Konan was used in the Middle Ages. Several dukes of Brittany bore it, including Conan I (died 992), Conan II (died 1066), Conan III (died 1148), and Conan IV (died 1171). These Breton rulers are documented in medieval chronicles. The Breton name is often connected with Welsh Cynan and with the same Celtic root as Irish Conán.
In the English-speaking world, the name is familiar from Robert E. Howard's stories about Conan the Barbarian, first published in 1932, and from later films, comics, and games. That literary use is far later than the medieval Irish and Breton records.
How Popular is the Name Conan?
Conan has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #1,088 in 1972.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,678 | 98 | 0.0057% |
| 2024 | #2,010 | 76 | 0.0044% |
| 2023 | #1,878 | 84 | 0.0049% |
| 2022 | #2,472 | 56 | 0.0032% |
| 2021 | #1,987 | 75 | 0.0043% |
| 2020 | #2,193 | 63 | 0.0037% |
| 2019 | #2,559 | 51 | 0.0028% |
| 2018 | #2,423 | 54 | 0.0030% |
| 2017 | #3,019 | 39 | 0.0021% |
| 2016 | #2,095 | 67 | 0.0035% |
| 2015 | #2,280 | 58 | 0.0030% |
| 2014 | #2,672 | 45 | 0.0023% |
| 2013 | #2,404 | 52 | 0.0027% |
| 2012 | #2,362 | 54 | 0.0028% |
| 2011 | #3,319 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 2010 | #3,188 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2009 | #3,283 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 2008 | #3,949 | 26 | 0.0013% |
| 2007 | #4,840 | 19 | 0.0009% |
| 2006 | #4,247 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2005 | #3,332 | 30 | 0.0015% |
| 2004 | #3,092 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 2003 | #3,645 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2002 | #4,212 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2001 | #2,873 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 2000 | #3,322 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1999 | #3,604 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1998 | #2,940 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1997 | #2,625 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1996 | #2,493 | 31 | 0.0016% |
| 1995 | #2,565 | 29 | 0.0015% |
| 1994 | #2,699 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 1993 | #3,265 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1992 | #3,950 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1991 | #3,487 | 17 | 0.0008% |
| 1990 | #4,210 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #3,003 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 1988 | #2,873 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1987 | #1,942 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 1986 | #3,477 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1985 | #2,968 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1984 | #2,377 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1983 | #1,566 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1982 | #1,544 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 1981 | #1,158 | 63 | 0.0035% |
| 1980 | #1,241 | 55 | 0.0031% |
| 1979 | #1,324 | 49 | 0.0028% |
| 1978 | #1,273 | 50 | 0.0030% |
| 1977 | #1,187 | 55 | 0.0033% |
| 1976 | #1,153 | 55 | 0.0035% |
| 1975 | #1,211 | 49 | 0.0031% |
| 1974 | #1,183 | 49 | 0.0031% |
| 1973 | #1,297 | 41 | 0.0026% |
| 1972 | #1,088 | 56 | 0.0035% |
| 1971 | #1,499 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 1970 | #1,468 | 33 | 0.0018% |
| 1969 | #1,615 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 1968 | #1,903 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1967 | #2,377 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1966 | #2,499 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1965 | #3,028 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1964 | #2,440 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1963 | #2,709 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1962 | #3,365 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1961 | #2,077 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1960 | #2,565 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1959 | #4,095 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1958 | #3,328 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #2,829 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1955 | #2,326 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1954 | #3,217 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #2,747 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1951 | #2,397 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1950 | #3,387 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1948 | #3,779 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1933 | #3,747 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1930 | #3,664 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1923 | #3,530 | 7 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
