2000
#5,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,329
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Conyers
Derived from a place name meaning "rabbit warren" in Old French, likely referring to a person who lived nearby.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,267 Americans carry the last name Conyers. That puts it at #5,307 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,166 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Conyers 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 Conyers with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 47,166
Census rank
#5,307
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,337 bearers of the surname Conyers in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5307th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Conyers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.6%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Conyers
The surname CONYERS originates from England and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the village of Conyers in County Durham, which was named after Roger de Coigners, a Norman landowner who held the manor there after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1175, where it appears as Robert de Conyng'. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Conyers, Connyers, and Coigniers, reflecting its Norman-French origins.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir John Conyers, who was born around 1330 and served as a knight during the reign of Edward III. He fought in the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and the Battle of Poitiers in 1356 during the Hundred Years' War.
The Conyers family played a significant role in the history of County Durham and held the title of Baron Conyers from the 15th century until the late 18th century. Notable members include Sir John Conyers (1499-1557), who served as Lord Warden of the East Marches and was involved in the suppression of the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536.
Another prominent figure was Sir Gerard Conyers (1597-1666), a Royalist during the English Civil War who fought for King Charles I. He was knighted in 1628 and later became a member of the Privy Council under Charles II.
In the literary world, John Conyers (1628-1694) was an English poet and playwright who wrote several tragedies and comedies, including "The Carnival" and "Love's Triumph."
The Conyers name is also associated with the Conyers Falchion, a medieval sword that dates back to the 13th century and was once owned by the Conyers family. It is currently on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
While the name has its roots in England, it has spread to other parts of the world through emigration, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. Some notable individuals with the surname Conyers include John Conyers Jr. (1929-2019), a U.S. Congressman who represented Michigan for over 50 years, and Lenny Conyers (born 1951), an American professional basketball player.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Conyers
Among Census respondents with the surname Conyers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.6%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Conyers 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 Conyers surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.6% · 3,460
- White36.2% · 2,291
- Two or more races4.9% · 308
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 236
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Conyers
Conyers 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
#5,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,583
+254 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Down 201 places
2020
#5,307
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,337
-246 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.12
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,088 | 6,329 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,289 | 6,583 | 2.23 | +254 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 201 places |
| 2020 | #5,307 | 6,337 | 2.12 | -246 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 18 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 Conyers 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 | #5,289 | #5,307 | -0.3% |
| Count | 6,583 | 6,337 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.23 | 2.12 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Conyers bearers went from 6,583 to 6,337 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,289 to #5,307.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Conyers
FAQ
Conyers surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Conyers?
Name Census estimates that about 7,267 living Americans carry the surname Conyers. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,166 residents.
How common is Conyers?
Conyers ranks #5,307 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,337 people with the surname Conyers. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,267), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Conyers.
Has Conyers become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Conyers went from 6,583 recorded bearers to 6,337. That is a decrease of 246 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,289 to #5,307.
What does the Census say about the background of Conyers?
Among Census respondents with the surname Conyers, the largest self-reported group is Black at 54.6%. The next largest groups are White (36.2%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Conyers in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.6% (3,460 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Conyers appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (54.6%), White (36.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Conyers (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 Conyers mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "rabbit warren" in Old French, likely referring to a person who lived nearby. 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 Conyers (2.12 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 are called Conyers?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Conyers at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.