Find out how popular the last name Conaway is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Conaway.

Conaway, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Conaway surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Conaway in America

Conaway is the 4300th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Conaway surname appeared 8,264 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Conaway.

We can also compare 2010 data for Conaway to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Conaway

The surname Conaway has its origins in the British Isles, particularly in England and Ireland. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "cony" and "way," which together translate to "rabbit path" or "rabbit road." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a path frequented by rabbits or a place known for its abundance of rabbits.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in England. One of the earliest known references is found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, which lists a William Conaway as a resident of the village of Coniston.

In Ireland, the name is often spelled "Conaway" or "Conoway," and it is thought to have been introduced during the Anglo-Norman invasion of the 12th century. Some of the earliest records of the name in Ireland can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Elizabeth I, which mentions a John Conaway from County Down in 1585.

Historically, the name has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded was Sir John Conaway, a English knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century. Another notable figure was Thomas Conaway (c. 1600-1660), an English Puritan minister who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony and became a prominent figure in the early colonial era.

In the 18th century, John Conaway (1720-1795) was a landowner and politician in Pennsylvania, serving in the state's General Assembly. During the American Revolutionary War, Clement Conaway (1758-1829) served as a captain in the Continental Army and later became a prominent citizen in Maryland.

In the 19th century, James Conaway (1816-1899) was a successful businessman and politician in Ohio, serving as the mayor of Zanesville and as a member of the state legislature. Additionally, Frank G. Conaway (1865-1945) was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Chicago and other cities in the Midwest.

Throughout its history, the surname Conaway has been associated with various places, including the village of Coniston in Cumbria, England, as well as towns and counties in Ireland, such as County Down and County Antrim.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Conaway

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Conaway.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Conaway was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Conaway has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Conaway was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Conaway, please contact us.

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