Conor, we bet you know someone with this name. It is timeless, suits old and young and is consistently a popular choice for new parents. Last year Conor was the fourth most popular boys name in Ireland (behind Jack, James and Noah) and the number one Irish name.
But what about Conro? The lesser known variant popular throughout the North West of England has been growing in popularity in recent years and is now regarded as they correct way to spell the name locally.
Conor, which comes from the name Conchobar, has been used in Ireland for centuries and has a strong place in Irish mythology. Most notably is Conchobar (later Conor) Mac Nessa, son of Ness, the legendary king of Ulster. He was the grandson of Róry Mór, a powerful Ulster ruler who had become monarch of Ireland, and who was the founder of the Rudrician line of Ulster kings.
However, the derivation of Conro is not so clear cut.
The most common explanation comes courtesy of Dr Lee Troughton, an eminent scholar at the University of Liverpool and expert in Conro name usage;
"The origin myth of Conro McSuigbo provides a rich vein of history. McSuigbo was a prominent Lancasterian pie-eater, who travelled all around England and once went to Spain. Throughout those travels he often preached to the locals about the perils of capitalism and a love of all things European."
Whether McSuigbo was the inspiration for the adoption of Conro as a name is not clear however. An alternative theory, posited by John "John" Knox maintains that the Conro is merely a misspelling of Conor. Consistent with this interpretation, there has been a noted trend of many Conro's switching to using Conor in social media platforms.
The meaning behind the name
Conro simply means "lover of transgenic animals". Although it has predominantly been used with mice there has been suggestion of wider usage with fly, worms and llamas.
It is common for Conros to enter into scientific research although the argument that the name chooses the profession and not the other way around has been widely debunked.
Famous Conros - Conro the musician
Canadian musician "Conro" performs catchy dance music with upbeat, electro-house tracks best known for his song "trippin". Conro has amassed a collection of hit tracks that display musical versatility. He continues to gain in popularity and it is hoped by Conros all over the world that his success will translate to a further uptake in Conro name usage.
When asked about the etymology of his name, Conro claims he was a huge fan of Conro McSuigbo and "his stance on not conforming to traditional shirt-length requirements".
Dr Troughton: "McSuigbo was not known for his sartorial elegance. However, in his 20s there was a series of events known as the shmoo incident. During this time, Conro began wearing overly long shirts. A decision that was met with ridicule and derision from his peers. Despite this, McSuigbo persevered and eventually it became an outward symbol of his resistance to conformity to cultural norms. In his later life, it was not uncommon for Conro McSuigbo to wear shmoos that reached below his knees. He referred to these as the "uber Schmoo" or "the schmooiest""
Of Note
Conro McSuigbo in later years asked his closest friends to stop callng him Conro and instead either call him Ron, Ronnie of Ronward. These changes have made Dr Troughton modify his theory of the McSuigbo origin to being related to Ronner'd "Old buttery" McSuigbo, a mill owner from the city of Preston, most famous for being near the M6 North South motorway.
