Conroy
A chiefly Irish surname, usually meaning “descendant of Mulconry,” with roots in an old Gaelic learned-family name.
The #2,184 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 18,542 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Conroy is generally an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic surname Ó Conraoi or, in some traditions, a contracted form of Ó Mulconry / Mac Conraoi-type names. The older Gaelic personal name is often explained as containing con or conn, “wisdom” or “sense,” plus an old name-forming element, though 19th-century scholars also linked some bearers with learned hereditary families. In short, the name points back to an Irish Gaelic ancestor-name rather than to an occupation or place.
History
The name is found in Ireland and also in the Isle of Man, where it appears in records from the early 1600s and was said to be uncommon there. In Manx usage, Moore specifically explains Conroy as contracted from O’Mulconry, while other writers connect it with related Irish forms such as O’Conraoi and MacConraoi. In Ireland, it is sometimes recorded as anglicized as King, reflecting a traditional interpretation of the underlying Gaelic name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One historical source notes that the surname was once so uncommon in the Isle of Man that it was “scarcely found” there by the late 19th century.
From the historical record
“Jurby, Maughold, German, Marown (c), elsewhere (u). CoNROY, contracted from O'Mulconry, ' Mulconry's de- scendant.' ' Maline Bodhar O'Mulconry took Cluaiii Bolcain,' A.D. II32.t This name was always uncommon in the Isle of Man, and is now scarcely found. CONRAI [1605], CONROI [1617], CUNRIE [1618], CONROY”
— The Surnames & Place-Names of the Isle of Man