From Welsh Conwy, a river name meaning 'holy water,' or Irish Gaelic Conbhuidhe meaning 'yellow hound.'
Conway is an old surname with intertwined Welsh and Irish histories. In Welsh it is connected with Conwy, the river and town in North Wales, so it can function as a habitational name rooted in place. In Irish it has been used as an anglicized form of several Gaelic surnames, including forms such as Ó Connmhaigh and Ó Conbhuide.
Because of that, Conway does not have one single neat gloss; depending on the line, it can carry associations of place, ancestry, hounds, or martial strength. Its historical depth comes from clan, landscape, and migration rather than from a single saint or monarch. As a surname it has been borne by many notable figures, from the mathematician John Horton Conway to actors, politicians, and writers.
That broad spread helped make it recognizable enough to migrate into first-name use, especially in the English-speaking world, where surnames have long been repurposed as given names to preserve family lines or to project dignity and individuality. As a first name, Conway feels tailored, somewhat aristocratic, and a little old-world. It is less common than other surname choices, which gives it distinction.
Over time, its perception has softened from strictly family-name territory into a viable first name with literary and regional flavor. It suggests heritage without being fragile about it: a name with river-stone solidity, carrying Wales and Ireland quietly in its sound.