2000
#4,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,878
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.92
Rare Last name
Conaway
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Conbhuí, meaning "descendant of Cú Bhuí" (hound of yellow).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,971 Americans carry the last name Conaway. That puts it at #4,389 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,207 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conaway surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Conaway with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 38,207
Census rank
#4,389
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,823 bearers of the surname Conaway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4389th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conaway
Among Census respondents with the surname Conaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Conaway bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Conaway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.5% · 5,982
- Black or African American14.8% · 1,154
- Two or more races4.0% · 316
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 272
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conaway
Conaway appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,264
+386 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.80
Rank movement Down 129 places
2020
#4,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,823
-441 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,171 | 7,878 | 2.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,300 | 8,264 | 2.80 | +386 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 129 places |
| 2020 | #4,389 | 7,823 | 2.62 | -441 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 89 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Conaway surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,300 | #4,389 | -2.1% |
| Count | 8,264 | 7,823 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.80 | 2.62 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conaway bearers went from 8,264 to 7,823 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,300 to #4,389.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Conaway
FAQ
Conaway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conaway?
Name Census estimates that about 8,971 living Americans carry the surname Conaway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,207 residents.
How common is Conaway?
Conaway ranks #4,389 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,823 people with the surname Conaway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,971), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Conaway.
Has Conaway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conaway went from 8,264 recorded bearers to 7,823. That is a decrease of 441 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,300 to #4,389.
What does the Census say about the background of Conaway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.8%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Conaway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.5% (5,982 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conaway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.5%), Black (14.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Conaway (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Conaway mean?
An Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Conbhuí, meaning "descendant of Cú Bhuí" (hound of yellow). The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Conaway (2.62 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Conaway?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.