From Irish Gaelic 'Conall' meaning 'strong wolf,' borne by heroes in Irish mythology.
Connell is an anglicization of the ancient Irish name Conall, composed of the Old Irish elements "con" (hound or wolf) and "gal" (valor or prowess), making it roughly equivalent to "strong as a wolf" or "valiant hound." In Celtic tradition, the hound was not merely an animal but a symbol of loyalty, fierce protection, and noble courage — making Conall a name bestowed on warriors and kings. It appears throughout early Irish mythology, most prominently as the name of Conall Cernach, one of the great Ulster warriors of the Red Branch cycle, a champion celebrated for ferocity and devotion to his king Conchobar mac Nessa.
Historically, the name was borne by numerous Irish saints and chieftains, and it remained in steady use throughout the medieval period. The O'Connell family, one of Ireland's most distinguished dynasties, carries a related form; Daniel O'Connell, the 19th-century lawyer and political leader known as "The Liberator" who won Catholic Emancipation for Ireland, helped keep Connell-adjacent names in the cultural foreground. As Irish surnames became given names during the diaspora era, Connell followed the pattern naturally.
The name received a significant contemporary boost through Sally Rooney's 2017 novel "Normal People," whose protagonist Connell Waldron — sensitive, athletic, emotionally complicated — introduced the name to a vast new global readership. Suddenly Connell felt both rooted and modern, a name with mythological depth and novelistic humanity in equal measure.