2000
#719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,395
First available Census row
Per 100,000 16.09
Uncommon Last name
Conway
Derived from the Welsh place name meaning "holy water," likely referring to a stream or river near a church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 48,808 Americans carry the last name Conway. That puts it at #793 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 14.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,023 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conway 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 Conway with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
49K
1 in 7,023
Census rank
#793
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
14.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
43K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 42,563 bearers of the surname Conway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 14.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 793rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conway, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Conway
The surname Conway has its origins in Wales, where it emerged in the 13th century. It is derived from the Welsh words "cwn" meaning hound or dog and "gwy" meaning a meadow or valley, thus together meaning "the meadow or valley of the hounds". The name likely referred to a specific geographical location or estate in Wales that was associated with hunting dogs.
The earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in medieval Welsh records and manuscripts. It appears in the "Book of Baglan" from the 14th century, which was a Welsh legal text. The name is also found in the "Extent of Neath" from 1262, which was a survey of landholdings in the region.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Conway, who lived in the late 15th century and was a prominent Welsh landowner. He served as High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire in 1496. Another notable figure was Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway, who lived from 1594 to 1655 and was a prominent English politician and military leader during the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, the Conway family established themselves as influential landowners and politicians in Ireland. Edward Conway, 2nd Viscount Conway, born in 1623, was a member of the Irish House of Lords and served as Lord Lieutenant of Antrim. His son, Edward Conway, 3rd Viscount Conway, lived from 1655 to 1683 and was also a member of the Irish House of Lords.
Another notable bearer of the name was Henry Seymour Conway, who lived from 1721 to 1795. He was a British army officer and statesman who served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department and was a prominent figure in the Whig party.
In the literary world, Anne Conway, who lived from 1631 to 1679, was an English philosopher and writer who was one of the first English women to write on the subject of metaphysics. Her work, "The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy", was influential in the development of philosophical thought in the 17th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conway
Among Census respondents with the surname Conway, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Conway 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 Conway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.2% · 33,696
- Black or African American12.0% · 5,105
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,729
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,425
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 343
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 265
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conway
Conway 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
#779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 44,320
+925 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 15.02
Rank movement Down 60 places
2020
#793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,563
-1,757 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 14.24
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #719 | 43,395 | 16.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #779 | 44,320 | 15.02 | +925 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 60 places |
| 2020 | #793 | 42,563 | 14.24 | -1,757 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 14 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 Conway 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 | #779 | #793 | -1.8% |
| Count | 44,320 | 42,563 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 15.02 | 14.24 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conway bearers went from 44,320 to 42,563 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #779 to #793.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Conway
FAQ
Conway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conway?
Name Census estimates that about 48,808 living Americans carry the surname Conway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,023 residents.
How common is Conway?
Conway ranks #793 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 14.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 42,563 people with the surname Conway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (48,808), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 14.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 14.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Conway.
Has Conway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conway went from 44,320 recorded bearers to 42,563. That is a decrease of 1,757 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #779 to #793.
What does the Census say about the background of Conway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conway, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Conway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (33,696 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.2%), Black (12.0%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Conway (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 Conway mean?
Derived from the Welsh place name meaning "holy water," likely referring to a stream or river near a church. 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 Conway (14.24 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 common is the surname Conway?
Find out how common the surname Conway is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.