| ![Show Contents]() McConway History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Ireland All Irish surnames have a long, ancient Gaelic history behind them. The original Gaelic form of the name McConway is Ó Conbhuidhe or Ó Connmhachain. The former of these names likely comes from the Gaelic word "condmach," while the latter probably comes from "cu buidhe." 1 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." 2 He was the progenitor of a long line of early Irish poets that were known into the mid 16th century. Early Origins of the McConway familyThe surname McConway 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." 3 The name MacConway (McConway) was typically found in Donegal while the name Conway was found in nearby Sligo in the parish of Easky. 3 Early History of the McConway familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our McConway 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 McConway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. McConway Spelling VariationsNumerous spelling variations of the surname McConway exist. A partial explanation for these variants is that ancient scribes and church officials recorded names as they were pronounced, often resulting in a single person being recorded under several different spellings. Different spellings that were found include Conway, Conboy, Convey, O'Conway, McConway and others. Early Notables of the McConway familyProminent 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 McConway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 McConway 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 McConway:
McConway Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John McConway, aged 29, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 4
- Mary McConway, aged 26, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 4
- William McConway, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1861 4
- Robert McConway, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1876 4
| Contemporary Notables of the name McConway (post 1700) | + |
- William McConway, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1904 5
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.
- MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
- 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)
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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McConway migration to the United States 
