Given name & surname
Conway
“the hound of the plain; from the sacred river”
Conway is used as a given name and a surname. One interpretation is “the hound of the plain; from the sacred river.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One interpretation is “the hound of the plain; from the sacred river.”
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Conway through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,932
- 2,921 boys · 11 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 152 babies
- 2025
- 152
- #1,287 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +67%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 152 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,287 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 63.1% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (22). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,385 as a first name in 2020; 42,563 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Conway’s family of names
In English usage, Conway has a diminutive in Connie. Conway has a related form in Conwae. Conway has a related form in Conwai.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Conway
- Conway Tearleactor (1878-1938)
- Conway MacMillanAmerican botanist (1867-1929)
- Conway SavageAustralian musician1960–2018
- Conway ZirkleAmerican botanist and historian of science (1895-1972)
- Conway Berners-LeeBritish mathematician and computer scientist (1921-2019)
- Conway Whittle SamsAmerican lawyer and historian1864–1935
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Conway, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Oren
“from the pine tree” · “a pale-skinned man”
99% boys · 1% girls
Calhoun
“from the narrow forest”
>99% boys
Kai
Kai is used in several naming traditions, with different explanations for the same spelling.
93% boys · 7% girls
Leith
“from the broad river”
>99% boys
Carberry
“tree”
—
Somerley
“of the summer sailors; from the summer meadow”
>99% boys
Murdo
“from the sea”
>99% boys
Glain
“as precious as jewel”
75% boys · 25% girls