Contents [hide]

Conroy History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Conroy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The name Conroy has changed considerably in the time that has passed since its genesis. It originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Maolconaire, denoting a descendant of the follower of Conaire. However, this was not the only Gaelic name Anglicized Conroy; others were Ó Conraoi, Mac Conraoi, Ó Conaire, and Ó Conratha. 1

Early Origins of the Conroy family

The surname Conroy was first found in around Galway Bay, where counties Galway and Clare meet. The Conroys first settled in Lough Corrib and Lough Lurgan, the ancient names of two lakes which now constitute Galway Bay. In modern times, Conrys are also common in Leix and Offaly. There were several different septs whose Gaelic names were Anglicized as Conroy, the most important of which was Ó Maolconaire.

They held a family seat in the parish of Clooncraff, near Strokestown in the county of Roscommon. They used the Anglicized form O'Mulconry, which was later shortened to Conry, and were distinguished as hereditary poets and historians to the kings of Connacht. One of the most significant members of this sept was Fearfasa O'Mulconry, who, with three of the O'Clerys, compiled the "Annals of the Four Masters" in 1636.

Also belonging to this sept was Maurice O'Mulconry, who completed a magnificent copy of the Book of Fenagh in 1517. Other septs who took the name Conroy included the O Conraoisept of Ui Maine, occupying territory in east Galway and south Roscommon, and also the Mac Conraoisept of Moycullen, who were found near the lakes of Lough Corrib and Lough Lurgan, now the Bay of Galway.

The surname King was often erroneously used during the late 17th and 18th century as an Anglicized form of several of these names, due to the similarity in sound between them and the Gaelic words Mac an Righ, which means 'son of the King.' This was particularly true among the MacConroys of Moycullen, who changed the name of their ancestral seat from Ballymaconry to Kingstown.

Early History of the Conroy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Conroy research. Another 188 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1560, 1561, 1616, 1620, 1629, 1641 and 1686 are included under the topic Early Conroy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Conroy Spelling Variations

Names during the Middle Ages were often recorded under several different spelling variations during the life of their bearers. Literacy was rare at that time and so how a person's name was recorded was decided by the individual scribe. Variations of the name Conroy include Conroy, Conry, Conray, Conrey, O'Conroy, O'Conry, Connery, Conneray, Conneroy, Connroy, Connry and many more.

Early Notables of the Conroy family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Flaithrí Ó Maolchonaire (also known as Florence Conry, Conroy, O'Mulconry, Omoelchonry Omulconner) (c.1560-1629), was an Irish Franciscan and theologian, founder of the College of St Anthony of Padua...

Conroy Ranking

In the United States, the name Conroy is the 2,215^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 2 However, in Australia, the name Conroy is ranked the 899^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,367 people with that name. 3

Conroy migration to the United States +

Irish families began to immigrate to British North America and the United States in the 18th century, but the greatest influx of Irish immigrants came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. The earlier settlers came to North America after a great deal of consideration and by paying relatively high fees for their passage. These settlers were primarily drawn by the promise of land. Those later settlers that came during the 1840's were trying to escape the conditions of poverty, starvation, disease, and death that had stricken Ireland. Due to the enormity of their numbers and the late date of their arrival, these immigrants primarily became hired laborers instead of homesteading settlers like their predecessors. An exhaustive search of immigration and passenger lists has revealed many Irish immigrants North America bearing the name Conroy:

Conroy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Dennis James Conroy, aged 35, who arrived in New York in 1806 4
Andrew Conroy, who arrived in Connecticut in 1811 4
Dominick Conroy, who arrived in America in 1832 4
Patrick Conroy, who arrived in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1843 4
Jahn Conroy, who landed in Mobile County, Ala in 1844 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Conroy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Conroy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Conroy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1816
James Conroy, who landed in Halifax Nova Scotia in 1843
John Conroy, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843
Miss. Catherine Conroy, aged 18 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "George" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in June 1847 5
Mr. Dennis Conroy, aged 5 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Ann Kenny" departing from the port of Waterford, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Conroy Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Charles O'Neill Conroy, born in Dublin emigrated to Newfoundland and established a law practice in 1903.

Conroy migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Conroy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Conroy, (b. 1829), aged 19, Irish labourer who was convicted in Galway, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 1st November 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Dennis Conroy, aged 20, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Marshall Bennett" 7
Mary Conroy, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Marshall Bennett" 7
Mary Conroy, aged 19, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "South Sea"
William Conroy, aged 6, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Marion" 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Conroy migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Conroy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Michael Conroy, aged 33, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 9
Bridget Conroy, aged 30, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 9
Mary Ann Conroy, aged 14, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 9
Ellen Conroy, aged 13, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 9
Bridget Conroy, aged 6, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Conroy (post 1700) +

Kevin Conroy (1955-2022), American Annie Award nominated actor, best known for his portrayal of the DC Comics Batman in the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series
Donald Patrick "Pat" Conroy (1945-2016), New York Times bestselling American author; two of his novels, The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini, were made into Oscar-nominated films
William "Will" James Conroy (b. 1982), American basketball player
William Edward "Wid" Conroy (1877-1959), American Major League Baseball player
Tim Conroy (b. 1960), American Major League Baseball player
Pat Conroy (b. 1945), American New York Times bestselling author
Martin Francis Conroy (1922-2006), American advertising executive
Michael Joseph "Joe" Conroy (1874-1958), American politician, mayor of Anchorage, Alaska (1923 to 1924)
Frank Parish Conroy (1890-1964), English-born, American film and Tony award winning stage actor
Frank Conroy (1936-2005), American author
... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Conroy family +

Grover Shoe factory

Miss Mamie Conroy, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; she survived 10

HMS Hood

Mr. Cornelius Conroy (b. 1917), Scottish Stoker 2nd Class serving for the Royal Navy from Cambusnethan, Wishaw, Lanarkshire, Scotland, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 11

HMS Royal Oak

Frank Conroy (d. 1939), British Leading Stoker with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 12

SS Atlantic

Mr.John Conroy, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
Kate Conroy, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking
Mr.Patrick Conroy, who was traveling aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

Victoria steamboat disaster

Henry E. Conroy, Canadian passenger who was killed in the Victoria steamboat disaster when the boat capsized in 1881

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Supplement to Irish Families. Baltimore: Genealogical Book Company, 1964. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 21)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) MARSHALL BENNETT 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/marshallbennett1852.shtml
South Australian Register 1857. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Marion 1857. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/marion1857.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html