The Conway surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 44,320 people carried this name — #779 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 6,660 people counted. That is up 2% from 43,395 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Conway surname

A habitational surname from Welsh derived from the former spelling of Conwy, the town or river in North Wales.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Conway» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Conway’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 200 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 169 births for the Conway name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 7,500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Mayo, Tyrone, and Dublin, and generally in Munster.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Connacht 58
Munster 48
Leinster 34
Ulster 29

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

34 people named Conway live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Geneva 15
Zug 7
Basel-Stadt 3
St. Gallen 3
Valais 3
Zurich 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 22 people named Conway.

Most of them — 19 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 2 départements, most often Paris.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 19
Paris 2
Loire-Atlantique 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

28 people named Conway is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 28

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In Scotland’s registers today

Conway was recorded 78 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 337th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 71. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

57 families named Conway, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 278 people lived in those households, 4.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 6 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Maryland 17
Virginia 16
Pennsylvania 9
New York 5
South Carolina 5
North Carolina 3
Massachusetts 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 235 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Conway in American newspapers,
1895–1911.

Newspaper page from The Sun carrying the name Conway
The Sun 1904-11-06
Newspaper page from Omaha Daily Bee carrying the name Conway
Omaha Daily Bee 1895-06-16
Newspaper page from The Montgomery Advertiser carrying the name Conway
The Montgomery Advertiser 1911-09-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 11,369 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Conway in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

70,169 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Conway. The most, 10,750, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 23,078
Victoria 17,194
Queensland 11,727
South Australia 6,492
Tasmania 5,906
Western Australia 5,153
ACT (Canberra) 329
Northern Territory 157

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Conway.

Who carried it

People named Conway,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Minnie Conway
    Minnie Conway d. 1896 · actor
  • John Conway d. 1579 · politician
  • John G. Conway d. 1995 · physicist
  • Billy Conway d. 2021 · drummer
  • Gary Conway d. 2019 · director
  • Noel Conway d. 2021 · lecturer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Conway,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States11,385 records

11,385 records of the Conway name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 3,498
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 3,304
  • Other U.S. records 4,583
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Leroy Conway

    Born 1948; from New York, New York. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1969 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Thomas J. Conway

    Born 1907 in New York. Enlisted 1941 at Jamaica; porter from Kings County. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1989, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Bridget Conway

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 22; servant. From Clonwhik, Ireland; bound for New Haven.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 11,385 records for Conway in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,277 records

2,277 records of the Conway name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,000
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 408
  • Other Australian records 869
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Margaret Conway

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Duke of Cornwall, sailing from Kingston in 1850. Native of Clare. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Bridget Conway

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Waverley, sailing from Dublin in 1842. Native of Tyrone. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1849.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Patrick Conway

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lord Dalhousie, sailing from Cork in 1852. Native of Tipperary. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,277 records for Conway in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada556 records

556 records of the Conway name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 433
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 39
  • Other Canadian records 84
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Robert Conway

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Nesbitt, bound for Port Matton, aged 51.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robt Conway

    Came to Ontario in 1872 aboard the Hector, landing at Quebec, bound for Barrie, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Charles F. Conway

    Buried in 1984 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 67.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 556 records for Conway in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom109 records

109 records of the Conway name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 55
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 33
  • Other British records 21
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Michael Conway

    Buried in 1891 at Valley Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 50.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Sabina Conway

    Will proved in 1932; of Conway, Denbigh.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record F. Conway

    Corporal, Royal Irish Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 109 records for Conway in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand49 records

49 records of the Conway name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 35
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 12
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Hannah Conway

    Died 1930, aged 75; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alice Emily Conway

    Died 1989, aged 81; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Conway

    Buried in 1898 at Tararu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 77.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 49 records for Conway in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Ireland38 records

38 records of the Conway name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Michael Conway

    Died 1988, aged 69; buried at Glenamaddy (New), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Conway

    Died 1993, aged 95; buried at Ballinakill, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Bridget Conway

    Died 1945, aged 38; buried at Lackagh (Old), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 38 records for Conway in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Conway name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Elizabeth Margareth Conway

    In the population register of Gealm Gb; nun, born 1872 in Gealm Gb.

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Mary Muriel Conway

    In the population register of 's-Gravenhage; born 1910 in Madras.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Conway in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France2 records

2 records of the Conway name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Desmond Conway

    Born 1945 in A Dungannon (Irlande du Nord); died 1999 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Conway in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Conway.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Conway is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Conway volume
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