Given name & surname
Connell
“one who is high and mighty”
Connell is a variant of Connal. One Celtic interpretation is “one who is high and mighty.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Connell is a variant of Connal. One Celtic interpretation is “one who is high and mighty.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Connell is a variant of Connal. An origin associated with Connal is Celtic.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
From Irish Ó Conaill (“descendant of <i class="Latn mention" lang="ga">Conall</i>”), from Proto-Celtic *Kunowalos (“dog chief”); its root is Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁-.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1913. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Connell through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,771
- 1,766 boys · 5 girls
- Most popular year
- 2022
- 46 babies
- 2025
- 38
- #3,140 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +96%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 38 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 3,140 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 96.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Illinois had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,094 as a first name in 2020; 21,526 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Connell’s family of names
Connell has a related form in Connal. In English usage, Connell as a surname has a related form in Connel. In English usage, Connell as a surname was borrowed from the Irish form Ó Conaill.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
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