Conrad

How to say it

/ˈkɒn.ræd/

What it means

Germanic, from kuoni ('brave, bold') plus rad ('counsel'), so 'bold counsel' or 'brave adviser.'

Conrad joins the Germanic kuoni, 'bold,' to rad, 'counsel': a brave and wise adviser. Several medieval kings of Germany bore it, and the novelist Joseph Conrad carried it as a surname into literature. It has a sturdy, old-world dignity and recently a romantic one, via the Conrad of The Summer I Turned Pretty. Con and Connie are the shorts.

Heads-up notes

• Nickname

  Con is the everyday short.

• Pop culture

  Novelist Joseph Conrad; medieval kings of Germany.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Joseph Conrad Polish-British novelist (Heart of Darkness)

Spelling variants

• Konrad
• Corrado
• Conrado

Names with the same feeling

• Arthur Bear, possibly 'bear-king'
• Walter Ruler of the army
• Oscar Spear of the gods, or 'deer-lover'
• Sterling Of the finest quality
• Warren Game preserve, or 'guardian'

See Conrad from another angle