2000
#2,040
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,309
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.05
Uncommon Last name
Conroy
Descendant of the red-haired youth, from the Irish surname "Conraoi" derived from "con" meaning "hound" and "ruadh" meaning "red."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,145 Americans carry the last name Conroy. That puts it at #2,238 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,890 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conroy 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 Conroy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 18,890
Census rank
#2,238
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,823 bearers of the surname Conroy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2238th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conroy, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Conroy
The surname CONROY has its origins in Ireland and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name 'Ó Conraidh', which means 'descendant of Conraidh'. The personal name Conraidh is derived from the Old Norse name 'Rǫgnvaldr', meaning 'ruler's counselor'.
The CONROY name was prominent in County Galway and County Mayo in the west of Ireland. It is believed that the name first appeared in these areas following the Norman invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century. The name is also found in some early records, such as the Annals of the Four Masters, which date back to the 16th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CONROY name is in the 1659 Census of Ireland, which lists several individuals with the surname living in County Galway. Another early reference is in the 1766 Hearth Money Rolls, which record CONROY families residing in County Mayo.
Notable individuals with the surname CONROY throughout history include John CONROY (1786-1854), an Irish soldier and courtier who served as the controller of the household of the Duchess of Kent and her daughter, the future Queen Victoria. Another prominent figure was Nicholas CONROY (1816-1898), an Irish Catholic priest and author who wrote several works on theology and philosophy.
In the 19th century, Michael CONROY (1847-1928) was an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts. Nicholas Joseph CONROY (1830-1897) was a Canadian Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.
More recently, John CONROY (1933-2022) was an American journalist and author who wrote several books on the British royal family, including the bestseller "The Prince and the Pauper" about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, Princess Margaret.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conroy
Among Census respondents with the surname Conroy, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Conroy 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 Conroy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 14,454
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 654
- Two or more races2.3% · 362
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 149
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 108
- Black or African American0.6% · 96
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conroy
Conroy 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
#2,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,651
+342 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 5.64
Rank movement Down 144 places
2020
#2,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,823
-828 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 5.29
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,040 | 16,309 | 6.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,184 | 16,651 | 5.64 | +342 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 144 places |
| 2020 | #2,238 | 15,823 | 5.29 | -828 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 54 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 Conroy 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 | #2,184 | #2,238 | -2.5% |
| Count | 16,651 | 15,823 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.64 | 5.29 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conroy bearers went from 16,651 to 15,823 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,184 to #2,238.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Conroy
FAQ
Conroy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conroy?
Name Census estimates that about 18,145 living Americans carry the surname Conroy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,890 residents.
How common is Conroy?
Conroy ranks #2,238 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,823 people with the surname Conroy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,145), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Conroy.
Has Conroy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conroy went from 16,651 recorded bearers to 15,823. That is a decrease of 828 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,184 to #2,238.
What does the Census say about the background of Conroy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conroy, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Conroy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (14,454 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conroy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Conroy (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 Conroy mean?
Descendant of the red-haired youth, from the Irish surname "Conraoi" derived from "con" meaning "hound" and "ruadh" meaning "red." 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 Conroy (5.29 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 Conroy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.