2000
#562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,194
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.09
Uncommon Last name
Conley
Derived from Irish Gaelic "Ó Conghaile," meaning "descendant of Conghaile," a personal name composed of "con" (hound) and "gal" (valor).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 61,091 Americans carry the last name Conley. That puts it at #622 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 17.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,611 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conley 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 Conley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
61K
1 in 5,611
Census rank
#622
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
53K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 53,274 bearers of the surname Conley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 17.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 622nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conley, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Conley
The surname Conley is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic name "O'Connalaidh" or "O'Conalaidhe," meaning "descendant of the lone brave one." It originated in County Galway, particularly in the region around Connemara, where it was first recorded in the 13th century.
The earliest known bearer of this name was Donnchadh Ó Conalaidhe, a prominent chieftain who lived in the late 12th century. His descendants adopted the anglicized form "Conley" during the 16th and 17th centuries when the use of English became more prevalent in Ireland.
One notable historical reference to the Conley name is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. It mentions several members of the Ó Conalaidhe clan, including their involvement in local conflicts and power struggles.
In the 16th century, the Conley family held lands in the baronies of Moycullen and Ballynahinch in County Galway. They were among the prominent Gaelic families who resisted the Tudor conquest of Ireland and were eventually dispossessed of their lands during the Cromwellian settlement of the 1650s.
Among the earliest recorded examples of the name Conley are William Conley, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of County Galway in 1635, and Edmond Conley, a landowner in County Mayo mentioned in the Books of Survey and Distribution from the late 17th century.
Some notable individuals with the surname Conley throughout history include:
1. Patrick Conley (1787-1858), an Irish-born Catholic priest who served as the first Bishop of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
2. John Conley (1843-1924), an American Civil War veteran and recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863.
3. William G. Conley (1866-1940), an American politician who served as the 28th Governor of West Virginia from 1929 to 1933.
4. Edward Conley (1900-1986), an American actor and comedian who appeared in numerous films and television shows, including The Honeymooners and The Abbott and Costello Show.
5. Nancy Conley (born 1946), an American author and historian known for her books on the history of Alaska and the Arctic region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conley
Among Census respondents with the surname Conley, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Conley 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 Conley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.6% · 40,801
- Black or African American14.9% · 7,920
- Two or more races4.5% · 2,423
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 1,585
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 294
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 251
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conley
Conley 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
#607
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,917
+1,723 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 18.96
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 53,274
-2,643 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 17.82
Rank movement Down 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #562 | 54,194 | 20.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #607 | 55,917 | 18.96 | +1,723 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #622 | 53,274 | 17.82 | -2,643 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 15 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 Conley 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 | #607 | #622 | -2.5% |
| Count | 55,917 | 53,274 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 18.96 | 17.82 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conley bearers went from 55,917 to 53,274 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #607 to #622.
FAQ
Conley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conley?
Name Census estimates that about 61,091 living Americans carry the surname Conley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,611 residents.
How common is Conley?
Conley ranks #622 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 17.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 53,274 people with the surname Conley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (61,091), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 17.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 17.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Conley.
Has Conley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conley went from 55,917 recorded bearers to 53,274. That is a decrease of 2,643 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #607 to #622.
What does the Census say about the background of Conley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conley, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Conley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (40,801 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.6%), Black (14.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Conley (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 Conley mean?
Derived from Irish Gaelic "Ó Conghaile," meaning "descendant of Conghaile," a personal name composed of "con" (hound) and "gal" (valor). 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 Conley (17.82 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 have the surname Conley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.