(Celtic) Counsel-Help [Irish and Gaelic Con(n)chobhar-conn, wisdom, counsel + an aspirated form of cobhair, aid, help]

Ó Conchubhair The name of six distinct septs.

(See Map). In Connacht. there were O’Connor or O’Conor Don (of which was the last High-King of Ireland) with its branches O’Conor Roe, and O’Conor Sligo; also O’Connor Faly (i.e. of Offaly), O’Connor Kerry and O’Connor of Corcomroe. IF 88 etc.; Map Clare, Derry, Galway, Kerry, Ros and Sligo; Plate V

(Irish) Grandson of Concobair (meddlesome), or of Conchor (high will or desire).

As Cornish surnames, said to be from connor, rage. D. Gilbert, spcaking of St. Clements, says, "In this church town is the well-known place of Conor, Condura; id est, the king or prince's water (viz., Cornwall), whoso royalty is still over the same, and whoso lands cover comparatively the whole parish; from which place in all probability was denominated Cundor or Condor, in Latin Condorus, i.e. Condura, Earl of Cornwall at the time of the Norman Conquest, who perhaps lived or was born here. And moreover the inhabitants of this church town and its neighbourhood will tell you, by tradition from age to age, that here once dwelt a great lord and lady called Condura." But see Condor.

(Celtic and Gaelic.) From Conchobar, the chief of men, powerful among men, a leader. O'Donovan derives this name from Conn, strength, and cobhair, aid, assistance. Con—na—fir, the head of men.

From the Irish O’Conchobhair; a personal name from the Old Norse, Konr (noble); a personal name, derived from the Celtic.

Connor, (or O’Connor) is an Irish surname. It derives from the Irish Gaelic ‘Conchobhar’. Thus, O’Connor means ‘the descendant of Conchobhar’ (the descendant of ‘high-will’). This refers to a quality in its possessor, just as the similar O’Connell refers to ‘the descendant of Conale’, or the descendant of ‘high-powerful’.

Connor was the name of six entirely distinct leading families in Ireland and was found all over the country, though it was rare in Kerry.

Perhaps the most renowned of the six Connor families, or clans, originated in Connacht. This clan was called O’Connor or O’Connor Don. The last High King of Ireland came from this clan, which has many branches. Other O’Connor families include O’Connor Roe and O’Connor Sligo (from Sligo) and O’Connor Faly (from Offaly), as well as branches in Kerry and North Clare. All members of these branches can properly claim to be descended from kings.

The name Connor is sometimes confused with the completely English occupational name of Conner, which stems from the Old English word meaning ‘inspector’ or ‘examiner’. Likewise, Connor (or O’Connor) has nothing to do with the similar but distinct Irish name of Connery (or O’Connery), which originated in Munster, mainly in and around Cork and Limerick.

At the 1906 Athens Olympics Irish Peter O’Connor won a gold medal for the Hop, Step and Jump. When the Union Jack was raised during the presentation of his medal, this so incensed O’Connor that, ignoring the ceremony in his honour, he descended the awards podium, climbed the flagpole and replaced the English flag with Ireland’s own.

Ireland’s best known short-story writer of this century was Michael O’Donovan (1901—66), who wrote under the name of Frank O’Connor. Called by Yeats ‘the Irish Chekhov’, he is best remembered for his stories about life in his native Cork, notably the collection Crab Apple Jelly (1944).

Rory O’Connor (1116—98), also known as Roderic, who was Turlough’s son and the last High King of Ireland, failed to defeat the Anglo-Norman invasion which led to English rule. He retired to a monastery where he died.

Connor has few towns and geographic features named in its honour, but Australia does have a Mount Connor and a Connors Range.

In England, Scotland and Wales the name Connor is not common enough to be counted separately. In Ireland, with about 33,000 namesakes, Connor is the 9th most popular surname. Around the world Connors and O’Connors are most common in Canberra (one in 1,509 families), Sydney (one in 2,134) and Melbourne (one in 2,392). In the United States there are an estimated 57,000 Connors and 85,000 O’Connors, in combination making this the country’s 168th most popular surname.