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Connors History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Connors History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland-Alt
Ireland
England

Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Connors originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Conchobhair, derived from the personal name Conchobhar. 1

Early Origins of the Connors family

The surname Connors was first found in Connacht. There were six different septs of this famous name scattered throughout Ireland, of which four continue to boast many members. However, the most important O'Connors were those of Connacht, divided into three main branches: O'Conor Don; O'Conor Roe; and O'Conor Sligo.

The Connacht O'Connors were direct descendants of Conchobhar, King of Connacht, who died in 971 AD. Furthermore, this family produced the last two High Kings of Ireland: Turlough O'Connor (1088-1156) and Roderick O'Connor (1116-1196). It was the invasion of Leinster by Roderick O'Conner on behalf of the Prince of West Brefney that caused the King of Leinster, Dermod MacMorough, to flee to England for aid. This resulted in the Strongbow Invasion of 1168, the beginning of English domination over Ireland.

Despite remaining stubbornly Catholic, the O'Connor family continued to maintain their elite position among the Irish nobility throughout the entire period of British dominance.

Early History of the Connors family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Connors research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1002, 1641, 1652, 1666, 1698, 1710, 1763, 1791, 1838, 1852 and 1906 are included under the topic Early Connors History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Connors Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Connors were encountered in the archives: Connor, Conner, Conor, Connors, O'Connor, Connores, Conner, Connar, Connars, O'Connar, O'Conner, Connair, Connairs, Connaire, Connaires, Cawner, Cawners, Caunnor, Cauner, Cauners and many more.

Early Notables of the Connors family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Cabrach O'Conor and Hugh O'Connor, son and grandson of O'Conor Don, took a prominent part in the 1641-1652 warsBernard Connor or O'Connor (1666?-1698), Irish physician and historian, descended from an ancient Irish family...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Connors Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Connors Ranking

In the United States, the name Connors is the 1,866^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 2 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Connors is ranked the 162^nd most popular surname with an estimated 241 people with that name. 3

Connors migration to the United States +

Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Connors:

Connors Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Biddy Connors, aged 19, who arrived in New York, NY in 1849 4

Connors migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Connors Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mary Connors, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1810
George Connors, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1816
Mary Connors, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1820
John Connors, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1823
Hanna Connors, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1825
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Connors migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Connors Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Connors, (b. 1780), aged 39, Irish labourer who was convicted in County Offaly (King's County), Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Castle Forbes" on 3rd October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
John Connors Mr. settled in New South Wales, Australia in 1823 6
Mr. Michael Connors, (b. 1805), aged 22, Irish cooper who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 19th July 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Patrick Connors, (b. 1795), aged 32, Irish farmers man who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for life for coining, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 19th July 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1831 7
Mr. David Connors, (b. 1816), aged 19, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Blackwell" on 29th September 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1886 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Connors migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Connors Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Margret Connors, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Himalaya" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1867 9
Miss Kate Connors, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Himalaya" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 10th February 1867 9
Mr. James Connors, (b. 1846), aged 23, British ploughman travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Hydaspes" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 30th September 1869 9
Cornelius Connors, aged 33, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
Martin Connors, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in Hawkes Bay aboard the ship "Countess of Kintore" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Connors (post 1700) +

Kevin Joseph "Chuck" Connors (1921-1992), American actor, writer, and professional basketball and baseball player
William Joseph "Billy" Connors (1941-2018), American Major League Baseball player, coach and front office official
Leonard T. Connors Jr. (1929-2016), American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey State Senate from 1982 to 2008
Mike Connors (1925-2017), born Krekor Ohanian, American actor, best remembered for playing detective Joe Mannix in the CBS television series, Mannix
Robert A. "Bob" Connors (d. 1998), American college football player, member of the Northeastern University athletics Hall of Fame (1990)
Joseph P. Connors (1862-1891), early American professional baseball pitcher
James Scott "Jimmy" Connors (b. 1952), American tennis player, former world number one tennis player, winner of eight Grand Slam singles titles and two Grand Slam doubles titles
Cecelia Connors, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 2000 10
Caitlin Connors, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Alabama, 2012 10
Benjamin R. Connors, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1928 10
... (Another 34 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Connors family +

Halifax Explosion

Mary Connors, Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) but later died due to injuries 11
Miss Mary Josephine Connors (1914-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 11

RMS Titanic

Mr. Patrick John Connors (d. 1912), aged 61, Irish Third Class passenger from Charleville, Cork who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking and was recovered by CS Mackay-Bennett 12

The Connors Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: O Dhia gach an cabhair
Motto Translation: From God Every Help

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/castle-forbes
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blackwell
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html