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He’s been worn by a German saint, a famous hotelier, and a fictional pop star – and he’s showing the faintest signs of revival for newborn boys, too.
Thanks to Annabel for suggesting Conrad as Baby Name of the Day.
Conrad is undeniably German in origin. Some of the earliest bearers can be found in places like Konstanz and Württemberg beginning in the ninth century.
The well-born Saint Conrad served as a bishop. In the 900s, Conrad the Elder assembled what would become the Duchy of Franconia and established the powerful Conradiner family. He passed the name on to his son, Conrad I of Germany; Conrad the Elder may have been named after a grandfather himself.
More titled and faithful Conrads followed. German poet Konrad von Würzburg made his mark in the thirteenth century. The name had made its way to Poland by the 1100s. Conrad of Gelnhausen was a 14th century theologian and canon lawyer.
Composed of the element -rad – counsel, along with either kuoni – brave, daring or kuni – people, there’s a positive meaning buried in the name.
It was the 1800s before Conrad entered wider use in English. Conrad Nicholson Hilton was born in 1887, and built a hotel empire over the next century. His seven siblings have noteworthy names, too: sisters Felice, Rosemary, Eva, and Helen, and brothers Julian, Carl, and August. They’ve kept the name in the family. The most famous Hilton of our era is the first Conrad’s great-granddaughter, Paris, but she has a brother named Conrad, too.
Conrad ranked in the high 200s when Hilton was born, peaked at #215 in 1931, and then slowly slid towards obscurity.
More recently, Timothy Hutton won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Conrad Jarrett in 1980′s Ordinary People. He played the guilt-ridden younger son suffering after his older brother’s tragic death. Hutton’s role did little to reverse Conrad’s slide, though he may have encouraged the adoption of Jarrett.
Then there’s the fictional Conrad, the Elvis Presley-esque figure from Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie. Set in 1958, Conrad Birdie was headed off to the Army, but had pledged One Last Kiss to one lucky girl before his departure. Innocent hijinks ensued after the contest winner, Kim MacAfee of Sweet Apple, Ohio, was selected. The musical was a hit, as was the film adaptation. Choose this name for your son, and it will be difficult to block out the number where Birdie’s fans sing “We love you, Conrad, oh yes we do …”
Parents today probably think of Conrad Bain, who played the dad on Diff’rent Strokes, but there’s also the character from Weeds. In some adaptations of The Cat in the Hat, the boy’s name is given as Conrad.
The Italian variant, Corrado, could make for a daring choice. But Conrad himself recently reversed course. After ranking in the low 800s, he’s climbed back to #747 in 2009. That’s far from trendy, but list him with hipster boy names: Rufus, Dexter, Homer, Kai. He fits right in.
So if you’re seeking something distinctive, but not yet discovered, Conrad might be the right choice.
I have two bad associations from jr. high with this name – one had it as a first name, the other a last name.
I love Conrad! If we were having another boy right this moment, I honestly think Conrad would be our choice. It was on our list with Stanley, too. Again, it quietly honors my hubby and I think Stanley and Conrad sound nice together
I confess, Conrad slips on & off my ‘suggest to him’ lists all the time. I like him, firmly. He’s definitely got that geeky vibe I so dig in my boys names (that’s Rufus way up there at the top of my list, still). My only problem is nicknames just don’t come easy to Conrad. Con does nothing for me and well, what else is there? Rad? Nah. Not terribly cooperative with nicknames to ease the Geek, really is something that bothers me. It probably wouldn’t bother others though. My other boys are regularly Leo/Lee & Simon/Sim, I need nicknames!
But he’s handsome, rather suave and fairly dashing to boot. I’d love to see him used far more often than he is!
If Mad Men is to be believed, Conrad Hilton Sr. went by Connie or Conny. You’re right about Con; it sounds too much like “KHAN!!”
That’s right! I’d forgotten that story line.
I instantly think of Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski), Polish author of _Heart of Darkness_. I really like the novella, despite have read it at least eight times in one semester for a class in which it was basically the only text! I don’t think I’d use the name though, it’s not very pleasing to my ears.
My husband is named Kurt, after his paternal grandfather Conrad. I really like Conrad and it’s a real possibility for us, but there are other names I love more.
Lola, maybe some of the contracted German forms would work for nicknames? Kord/Cord, Kort/Cort, Kurt
That’s a great idea, Julie! Cord/Cort appeals as does Kurt (but he may nix that one since we have an old family friend with that name). Still, it puts Conrad back on the list!
Love Conrad! Like it so much better than Connor
That’s an EXCELLENT point – they’re very similar, but Conrad is more distinctive.
I like Konrad spelled this way-with the K. This is in honor of my German heritage. I like the idea of Cord/Kord as a nickname. I think it would be more usable here in my neck of the woods than other “hipster” names because of the strong German roots of this area. I have to add it to my list now!
My 9 year old son is Conrad….he goes by Conrad and it’s never been a problem. I love that we never run into anyone with the same name. He is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed little boy….a thinker, and very intelligent for his age.
That’s the best comment I’ve heard in favor of Conrad!
I like Conrad. It’s not at all common in my area, and that’s a plus for me. However, I do find that it is a bit awkward to say. It seems like there’s just something a bit off.
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We just welcomed a little Conrad earlier this month. We have gotten very positive feedback on his name, and we are quite enamored of it (and him)!
So exciting! And I’m delighted that Conrad is getting a good response.
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