Meaning & Origin
A placename: The River Conway, the former English name of the River Conwy in North Wales. The former English spelling of Conwy, a town in North Wales. A number of places in the United States: A city, the county seat of Faulkner County, Arkansas. A census-designated place in Orange County, Florida. A minor city in Taylor County, Iowa. An unincorporated community in Jackson Township, McPherson County, Kansas. A village in Union Parish, Louisiana. A town in Franklin County, Massachusetts. A census-designated place in Little Traverse Township, Emmet County, Michigan. A township in Livingston County, Michigan. A minor city in Laclede County, Missouri. A town and census-designated place therein, in Carroll County, New Hampshire. A minor city in Walsh County, North Dakota. A town in Northampton County, North Carolina. A borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. A city, the county seat of Horry County, South Carolina. A short river in Virginia. A census-designated place in Skagit County, Washington. A locality in Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia. A river in north Canterbury, New Zealand, which flows into the Pacific Ocean.
Conway is a boy's and girl's baby name of Welsh origin, from the Welsh Conwy, the name of a river in North Wales meaning 'holy river' or 'chief river,' from the Old Welsh elements con (chief) and gwy (river). As a given name it has been used as a place-derived surname-name in America and Britain.
Conway has a rugged, outdoorsy quality — it sounds like rocky riverbanks and castle walls in North Wales. In America, it carries country music associations through Conway Twitty. A name with genuine geographical gravitas and a certain frontier roughness.