NameCensus.

UK surname

Conroy

Descendant of the red-haired youth, from the Irish surname "Conraoi" derived from "con" meaning "hound" and "ruadh" meaning "red."

In the 1881 census there were 2,214 people recorded with the Conroy surname, ranking it #2,006 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 6,000, ranked #1,125, up from #2,006 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Northumberland, Raploch and County Durham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Conroy is 6,197 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 171.0%.

1881 census count

2,214

Ranked #2,006

Modern count

6,000

2016, ranked #1,125

Peak year

2010

6,197 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Conroy had 2,214 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,006 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 6,000 in 2016, ranked #1,125.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 2,554 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Conroy surname distribution map

The map shows where the Conroy surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Conroy surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Conroy over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 653 #3,979
1861 historical 856 #3,233
1881 historical 2,214 #2,006
1891 historical 1,978 #2,333
1901 historical 2,554 #2,154
1911 historical 2,425 #2,113
1997 modern 5,819 #1,127
1998 modern 6,016 #1,128
1999 modern 6,038 #1,131
2000 modern 5,949 #1,139
2001 modern 5,824 #1,138
2002 modern 5,958 #1,142
2003 modern 5,829 #1,139
2004 modern 5,826 #1,139
2005 modern 5,757 #1,133
2006 modern 5,785 #1,130
2007 modern 5,815 #1,134
2008 modern 5,907 #1,125
2009 modern 6,064 #1,122
2010 modern 6,197 #1,122
2011 modern 6,096 #1,121
2012 modern 5,856 #1,134
2013 modern 6,014 #1,128
2014 modern 6,102 #1,120
2015 modern 6,024 #1,126
2016 modern 6,000 #1,125

Geography

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Where Conroys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Manchester, Liverpool and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Northumberland, Raploch, County Durham and Middlesbrough. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Gateshead Durham
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Liverpool Lancashire
5 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Northumberland 013 Northumberland
2 Raploch Stirling
3 County Durham 004 County Durham
4 Northumberland 016 Northumberland
5 Middlesbrough 003 Middlesbrough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Conroy

These lists show first names that appear often with the Conroy surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Conroy

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Conroy, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Conroy surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Conroy household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Conroy is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Conroy is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Conroy falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Conroy is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Conroy, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Conroy

The surname CONROY has its origins in Ireland and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name 'Ó Conraidh', which means 'descendant of Conraidh'. The personal name Conraidh is derived from the Old Norse name 'Rǫgnvaldr', meaning 'ruler's counselor'.

The CONROY name was prominent in County Galway and County Mayo in the west of Ireland. It is believed that the name first appeared in these areas following the Norman invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century. The name is also found in some early records, such as the Annals of the Four Masters, which date back to the 16th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the CONROY name is in the 1659 Census of Ireland, which lists several individuals with the surname living in County Galway. Another early reference is in the 1766 Hearth Money Rolls, which record CONROY families residing in County Mayo.

Notable individuals with the surname CONROY throughout history include John CONROY (1786-1854), an Irish soldier and courtier who served as the controller of the household of the Duchess of Kent and her daughter, the future Queen Victoria. Another prominent figure was Nicholas CONROY (1816-1898), an Irish Catholic priest and author who wrote several works on theology and philosophy.

In the 19th century, Michael CONROY (1847-1928) was an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts. Nicholas Joseph CONROY (1830-1897) was a Canadian Roman Catholic prelate who served as the Bishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.

More recently, John CONROY (1933-2022) was an American journalist and author who wrote several books on the British royal family, including the bestseller "The Prince and the Pauper" about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, Princess Margaret.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Conroy families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Conroy surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 880 Conroys recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.42x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 880 3.42x
Yorkshire 381 1.77x
Middlesex 147 0.68x
Durham 136 2.11x
Northumberland 102 3.16x
Cheshire 89 1.86x
Lanarkshire 88 1.26x
Dunbartonshire 44 7.56x
Staffordshire 40 0.55x
Surrey 38 0.36x
Hampshire 36 0.81x
Warwickshire 31 0.57x
Renfrewshire 21 1.25x
Worcestershire 21 0.74x
Kent 19 0.26x
Nottinghamshire 18 0.62x
Derbyshire 14 0.41x
Essex 14 0.33x
Midlothian 13 0.45x
Leicestershire 9 0.37x
Royal Navy 9 3.49x
Selkirkshire 9 4.59x
Cumberland 8 0.43x
Gloucestershire 6 0.14x
Monmouthshire 6 0.38x
Sussex 6 0.16x
Devon 5 0.11x
Glamorgan 5 0.13x
Dumfriesshire 4 0.84x
Isle of Man 4 0.99x
Stirlingshire 4 0.50x
Berkshire 3 0.18x
Lincolnshire 3 0.09x
Buckinghamshire 2 0.15x
Flintshire 2 0.34x
Somerset 2 0.06x
Channel Islands 1 0.16x
East Lothian 1 0.35x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Manchester in Lancashire leads with 119 Conroys recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.29x.

Place Total Index
Manchester 119 10.29x
Liverpool 98 6.28x
Bradford 64 12.31x
Blackburn 47 6.87x
Govan 44 2.54x
Horton In Bradford 43 12.83x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 42 15.04x
Oldham 41 4.94x
Preston 38 5.52x
Salford 35 4.63x
St Marylebone London 31 2.68x
Warrington 29 9.52x
Cardross 28 40.05x
Birkenhead 27 7.08x
Sheffield 27 3.95x
Gateshead 26 5.39x
North Shields 24 37.31x
West Derby 24 3.19x
Toxteth Park 23 2.64x
Bowling 22 10.35x
Pemberton 22 21.46x
Wigan 22 6.12x
Hulme 21 3.91x
Birmingham 20 1.10x
Manningham 20 7.56x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 20 10.39x
Linthorpe 19 14.83x
Barony 18 1.02x
Newchurch 18 8.56x
Ashton Under Lyne 17 3.03x
Battersea 17 2.13x
Southampton St Mary 17 6.09x
Wolstanton 17 7.65x
Wardleworth 16 10.89x
Widnes 16 8.63x
Bedlington 15 13.94x
Glasgow 15 1.21x
Little Bolton 15 4.54x
Bradford 14 11.63x
St Luke London 14 4.03x
Dukinfield 13 5.88x
Eastwood 13 12.57x
Ecclesall Bierlow 13 2.98x
Habergham Eaves 13 5.53x
Huddersfield 13 4.16x
Southcoates 13 10.91x
Nottingham St Mary 12 1.59x
Stockport 12 4.88x
Sutton 12 13.92x
Clerkenwell London 11 2.15x
Dudley 11 3.20x
Islington London 11 0.52x
Northowram 11 7.31x
Parr 11 11.96x
Shelf 11 53.63x
Ardwick 10 4.31x
Chatham 10 4.92x
Everton 10 1.22x
Frankley 10 900.90x
Kirkdale 10 2.31x
Wednesbury 10 5.47x
Wolsingham 10 17.02x
Bonhill 9 9.63x
Burnley 9 4.16x
Castleton 9 3.51x
Crompton 9 12.29x
Galashiels 9 12.42x
Horsforth 9 19.12x
Oswaldtwistle 9 9.91x
St Giles In Fields London 9 8.47x
Whitechapel London 9 4.21x
Ditton 8 76.12x
Handsworth 8 14.09x
Idle 8 8.04x
Kirkham 8 23.54x
Leicester St Margaret 8 1.37x
Newcastle On Tyne St John 8 18.88x
Northwich 8 105.12x
West Ham 8 0.85x
Yeadon 8 16.50x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Conroy surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 235
Margaret 82
Bridget 61
Catherine 57
Elizabeth 57
Ann 56
Ellen 56
Sarah 48
Annie 34
Jane 25
Alice 24
Kate 15
Maria 13
Hannah 12
Julia 12
Eliza 11
Anne 10
Martha 9
Agnes 6
Emma 6
Maggie 6
Rose 6
Ada 5
Caroline 5
Emily 5
Florence 5
Lucy 5
Winifred 5
Frances 4
Helen 4
Isabella 4
Margt. 4
Susan 4
Amelia 3
Cathrine 3
Clara 3
Eleanor 3
Fanny 3
Harriet 3
Johanna 3
Louisa 3
Sophia 3
Amy 2
Elisebeth 2
Elizth. 2
Katherine 2
M. 2
Margeret 2
Marian 2
May 2

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Conroy surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 177
Thomas 111
James 105
Patrick 67
William 57
Michael 54
Joseph 33
Edward 32
Martin 31
Peter 28
Charles 19
Henry 13
Robert 13
George 12
Daniel 10
Francis 10
Dennis 8
Richard 8
Bernard 7
Timothy 7
Christopher 6
Denis 6
Mark 6
Stephen 6
Arthur 5
Frank 5
Matthew 5
Thos. 5
Alfred 4
Anthony 4
Hugh 4
Lawrence 4
Mathew 4
Wm. 4
David 3
Fenton 3
Frederick 3
Lewis 3
Pat. 3
Samuel 3
Dan 2
Edwin 2
Eugene 2
Frances 2
Luke 2
Michial 2
Nicholas 2
Pat 2
Patk. 2
Rd. 2

FAQ

Conroy surname: questions and answers

How common was the Conroy surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,214 people were recorded with the Conroy surname. That placed it at #2,006 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Conroy surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 6,000 in 2016. That gives Conroy a modern rank of #1,125.

What does the Conroy surname mean?

Descendant of the red-haired youth, from the Irish surname "Conraoi" derived from "con" meaning "hound" and "ruadh" meaning "red."

What does the Conroy map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Conroy bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.