Show ContentsConaway History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

All Irish surnames have a long, ancient Gaelic history behind them. The original Gaelic form of the name Conaway is O Conbhuidhe or O Connmhachain. The former of these names likely comes from the Gaelic word "condmach," while the latter probably comes from "cu buidhe." Conway is also an Anglicization of the names Mac Conmheadha or Mac Connmhaigh.

One of the first records of the family was Gillabrighde MacConmidhe (fl. 1260) the Irish "historian and poet, a member of a family which for more than three centuries acted as hereditary poets of the Cinel Eoghain, the O'Neills, and their kindred septs. He was born about 1200, and wrote a poem on Cathal Croibhdhearg O'Conor during the lifetime of that king, who died in 1224. Brian O'Neill, chief of the Cinel Eoghain, once gave him twenty horned cows (fiche bo bheannach) for poem, and on another occasion, after the feativities of May day, gave him twenty cows, besides gold and clothing." [1] He was the progenitor of a long line of early Irish poets that were known into the mid 16th century.

Early Origins of the Conaway family

The surname Conaway was first found in Donegal (Irish: Dún na nGall), northwest Ireland in the province of Ulster, sometimes referred to as County Tyrconnel, and Connacht. The name is "the anglicized form of several different Irish surnames." [2] The name MacConway (McConway) was typically found in Donegal while the name Conway was found in nearby Sligo in the parish of Easky. [2]

Early History of the Conaway family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Conaway research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1360, 1420, 1434, 1493, 1507, 1542, 1564, 1583, 1586, 1594, 1607, 1623, 1628, 1630, 1631, 1655, 1661, 1669, 1679, 1681 and 1683 are included under the topic Early Conaway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Conaway 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 Conaway include Conway, Conboy, Convey, O'Conway, McConway and others.

Early Notables of the Conaway family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway PC (1564-1631), an English soldier and statesman, Secretary of State in 1623, Lord President of the Council (1628-1631); his son, Edward Conway, 2nd Viscount Conway PC (1594-1655), an English politician, military commander and peer; and his son, Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway PC...
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Conaway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Conaway Ranking

In the United States, the name Conaway is the 4,134th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. [3]


United States Conaway migration to the United States +

Many destitute Irish families in the 18th and 19th centuries decided to leave their homeland, which had in many ways been scarred by English colonial rule. One of the most frequent destinations for these families was North America where it was possible for an Irish family to own their own parcel of land. Many of the early settlers did find land awaiting them in British North America, or even later in America, but for the majority of immigrants that arrived as a result of the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s the ownership of land was often a long way off. These Irish people were initially put to work on such industrial projects as the building of bridges, canals, and railroads, or they worked at manufacturing positions within factories. Whenever they arrived, the Irish made enormous contributions to the infant nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the earliest immigrants to bearer the name of Conaway were found through extensive research of immigration and passenger lists:

Conaway Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Aaron Conaway, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 aboard the ship "Southampton" [4]
  • Henry Conaway, who landed in Virginia in 1652 [4]
  • Eliz Conaway, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 [4]
  • William Conaway, who arrived in Maryland in 1663 [4]
  • Joseph Conaway, who arrived in Maryland in 1663 [4]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Conaway Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Conaway, who landed in Long Island in 1812 [4]

Contemporary Notables of the name Conaway (post 1700) +

  • John B. Conaway (b. 1934), retired U.S. Air Force officer who served as the Chief of the National Guard Bureau in Washington
  • Jeffrey Charles William Michael "Jeff" Conaway (1950-2011), American actor, best known for his roles in the movie Grease and two US television series, Taxi and Babylon 5
  • Asbury Bateman Conaway (1837-1897), American jurist, Justice of the Territorial Wyoming Supreme Court from June 21, 1890 to October 11, 1890
  • John Wesley Conaway (1843-1913), Union Army soldier during the American Civil War
  • Frank M. Conaway Jr., American politician
  • Cristi Conaway (b. 1964), American actress and fashion designer
  • Herb Conaway (b. 1963), American Democratic Party politician
  • Kenneth Michael "Mike" Conaway (b. 1948), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas (2005-)
  • Frank Melvin Conaway Sr., American Democratic Party politician, Member of Maryland State House of Delegates 40th District, 1979-82; Clerk of Baltimore Circuit Court, 1999; Candidate for Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, 2004, 2007 [5]
  • Edmund M. Conaway, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from West Virginia, 1932; Candidate in primary for U.S. Senator from West Virginia, 1934 [5]
  • ... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


The Conaway Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fide et amore
Motto Translation: By fidelity and love.


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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