Head to head · Boys' names
Carlos vs Connor
#150 vs #166 in 2025
Carlos is a whisker ahead (#150 vs #166 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Carlos is holding its place on the charts, Connor is stepping back from its peak.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Carlos leads 4 measures of 6; Connor leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Carlos #392, Connor — — Carlos higher
- 1890s: Carlos #376, Connor — — Carlos higher
- 1900s: Carlos #293, Connor — — Carlos higher
- 1910s: Carlos #315, Connor #3353 — Carlos higher
- 1920s: Carlos #257, Connor #3316 — Carlos higher
- 1930s: Carlos #218, Connor #3381 — Carlos higher
- 1940s: Carlos #203, Connor #3198 — Carlos higher
- 1950s: Carlos #175, Connor #3351 — Carlos higher
- 1960s: Carlos #144, Connor #3155 — Carlos higher
- 1970s: Carlos #78, Connor #2500 — Carlos higher
- 1980s: Carlos #75, Connor #643 — Carlos higher
- 1990s: Carlos #69, Connor #81 — Carlos higher
- 2000s: Carlos #69, Connor #49 — Connor higher
- 2010s: Carlos #115, Connor #56 — Connor higher
- 2020s: Carlos #145, Connor #120 — Connor higher
Carlos stood higher in 12 of 15 decades; Connor has held the lead since the 2000s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Carlos | Connor |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #392 | — |
| 1890s | #376 | — |
| 1900s | #293 | — |
| 1910s | #315 | #3353 |
| 1920s | #257 | #3316 |
| 1930s | #218 | #3381 |
| 1940s | #203 | #3198 |
| 1950s | #175 | #3351 |
| 1960s | #144 | #3155 |
| 1970s | #78 | #2500 |
| 1980s | #75 | #643 |
| 1990s | #69 | #81 |
| 2000s | #69 | #49 |
| 2010s | #115 | #56 |
| 2020s | #145 | #120 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Carlos
a free man
The Germanic word behind the name described a man who was free but held no rank. Spanish took the name through the Frankish emperors rather than directly, which is why it arrives with the Latin ending attached.
Karl → Carolus → Carlos
How it traveled
His death set off the largest war Europe had yet fought. He had signed a will leaving everything to a French prince, which would have joined the Spanish and French crowns; England, the Dutch and the Austrians went to war rather than allow it, and the fighting ran for over a decade across Europe and the Americas.
Connor
From Irish Conchobhar; the first element is cú, "hound" or "wolf"
The hound element is agreed on. The second, cobhar, is not: it is read either as "desiring" — giving "lover of hounds" or "wolf-lover", the version most often printed — or as "aid, help", giving something closer to "hound of aid". Both are serious readings by Irish scholars, and neither has won.
Conchobar → Conchobhar → Ó Conchobhair / O'Connor → Conor → Connor
How it traveled
Conchobhar was in use in Ireland well before the Norman arrival, borne by kings of Connacht; the last High King of Ireland belonged to the Ua Conchobhair line in the twelfth century, and it is from that family name that the surname O'Connor descends. Irish legend also gives the name to Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster in the tales of the Ulster Cycle, which is why the name turns up in so much retold Irish literature.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Carlos
KAR-lohs
Two syllables with the stress at the front. Spanish gives the final o a full clear vowel where English reduces it, which is the main audible difference.
- Carlitos — The standard Spanish affectionate form; warm and used well into adulthood.
- Los — The back of the name; informal and heavily American.
- Charlie — Borrowed from the English form; used where a family moves between languages.
Connor
KON-er
Two syllables, stress on the first, rhyming with "honor" in most American accents. The older Irish spelling Conchobhar is not pronounced like the English version at all.
- Con — The usual informal short form; also an ordinary English word, which some families weigh before using it.
- Conn — The doubled spelling is itself an old Irish given name and is sometimes registered on its own.
- Connie — An older short form, now more often heard as a woman's name in English.
- Conno — A playground and sports-team form, common in Ireland, Britain and Australia.
Who has carried each name
Carlos
Carlos Santana (b. 1947) — Guitar legend behind "Smooth"
Carlos Alcaraz (b. 2003) — Youngest men's world No. 1 in tennis history
Carlos Slim (b. 1940) — Once the richest person in the world
Connor
Connor McDavid (b. 1997) — The best hockey player of his generation
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Carlos if you want…
- a name most people already know#150 in 2025, 2,418 babies that year
- a long American recordCarlos was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 25% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 77% for Connor
Choose Connor if you want…
- a name fewer children share#166 in 2025 — connor will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name past its most crowded yearsConnor is stepping back from its peak
- a newer arrivalConnor entered the US charts in 1913
- a name that feels very nowConnor is stepping back from its peak
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Carlos
Strengths
- It is recognized instantly across the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking world.
- It has an established affectionate form rather than an improvised one.
- The spelling and the sound agree completely in both languages.
To consider
- It is common enough that a child may not be the only one nearby.
- English speakers reduce the final vowel, which Spanish speakers notice.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
Connor
Strengths
- A spelling nearly every English speaker reads correctly at first glance, and one no one has to spell out over the phone in a general sense.
- Documented in Ireland since the early medieval period — an unbroken line from Conchobhar through the O'Connor surname to the modern first name.
- In steady use across the United States, Ireland, Britain, Australia and New Zealand, so it travels without translation.
To consider
- Connor, Conor and Conner all sound identical, so expect a lifetime of light corrections. Choosing the spelling you like best and saying it clearly the first time solves most of it.
- Most people carrying the name in America are young adults right now, so it reads to many ears as belonging to a particular stretch of years rather than as a neutral classic.
- "Con" as a short form doubles as an English word with an unhelpful sense. Plenty of families simply skip it and use the full name.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Carlos
25%chance Carlos feels dated by 2040
Carlos peaked long ago yet still holds steady — names that survive their own wave usually settle into quiet, durable classics.
Connor
77%chance Connor feels dated by 2040
Connor is coming down from a big peak (#38 in 2004). This is the stretch of the cycle where a name starts to sound like the decade it ruled.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Carlos and Connor in full.
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Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- The steadiest names in America
- The sweet spot: familiar but not everywhere
- Spanish and Latin names with warmth
- Names ending in -s
- all guides
Where Carlos and Connor each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Carlos or Connor — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Carlos or Connor?
- Carlos, in 2025: Carlos ranked #150 with 2,418 babies; Connor ranked #166 with 2,211 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Carlos or Connor?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Carlos moved down 1 place; Connor moved down 88 places.
- Which is the older name, Carlos or Connor?
- Carlos was already in use when US records began in 1880; Connor entered the US charts in 1913. On the American record, Carlos is the older name.
- How many people are named Carlos and Connor?
- About 274,000 people named Carlos are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 231,000 people named Connor are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Carloss or Connors in the classroom?
- Carlos will almost certainly be the only one in school. Connor will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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