Conley from ''O′Conghaile'' or Ó Conghalaigh (“hound valiant”) is a surname of Irish or Manx origin. The anglicized forms Conneely, Connealy, and Cunneely emerged due to the loss of the "gh" sound, which lengthened the second syllable of Conghal. In Connacht, these forms are often shortened from McNeilly, derived from Mac Conghaile. Another possible origin is the West Cork name Mac Coingheallaigh or Ó Coingheallaigh, meaning "faithful to pledges." Historically, O'Connolly was a principal name of County Monaghan. Conley is also used as a male given name, anglicized from Old Irish Conláed, meaning "constant fire," which combines cunnail ("prudent, constant") and áed ("fire"). Alternatively, it could be a compound name from Old Irish cond ("intellect," "mind," or "king") or cenn ("head, chief") and ley, an Anglo-Norman term for "field, meadow, or forest clearing." Conley is a variant spelling of Connelly, Connley, and Connolly.

People with the surname

Arts and letters

* Darby Conley (born 1970), American cartoonist *

Garrard Conley Garrard Conley (born ) is an American author and LGBTQ activist known for his autobiography '' Boy Erased: A Memoir'', recounting his childhood as part of a fundamentalist family in Arkansas that enrolled him in conversion therapy. The book was ...

(born 1984 or 1985), American author * Philip Mallory Conley (1887–1979), American historian * Robert Conley (reporter) (1928–2013), American reporter * Robert J. Conley (1940–2014), Cherokee author *

Tom Conley (philologist) Tom Clark Conley (born 1943) is an American philologist. He is Lowell Professor in the Departments of Romance Languages and Visual and Environmental Studies at Harvard University where he studies relations of space and writing in literature, cartog ...

(born 1943), American philologist * Willy Conley (born 1958), American photographer * Max Conley (born 1980), Ciudadano Chileno

Business

* Chip Conley (born 1960), American hotelier *

Kerry Conley Kerry Ellsworth Conley (1 September 1866 – 5 March 1924) was Minnesota businessman, civic leader, and politician. Together with his brother Fred, they founded the Conley Camera Company in Spring Valley, Minnesota at 510 Main Street. The broth ...

(1866–1924), American businessman and politician *

Lyda Conley Eliza Burton "Lyda" Conley ( – 1946) was a Wyandot-American lawyer of Native American and European descent, the first woman admitted to the Kansas Bar Association. She was notable for her campaign to prevent the sale and development of the ...

(1874–1946), American lawyer *

Rosemary Conley Rosemary Jean Neil Conley CBE, DL (''née'' Weston, 19 December 1946)''The International Who's Who of Women 2002'', Europa, , p. 113 is an English businesswoman, author and broadcaster on exercise and health. Conley authored a low-fat diet and e ...

(born 1946), English businesswoman, author and broadcaster * William Henry Conley (1840–1897), American industrialist and philanthropist

Entertainment

Arthur Conley Arthur Lee Conley (January 4, 1946 – November 17, 2003), also known in later years as Lee Roberts, was an American soul singer, best known for the 1967 hit " Sweet Soul Music". Early life Conley was born in McIntosh County, Georgia, U.S., an ...

(1946–2003), American soul singer *

Bayless Conley Bayless Conley is an American gospel pastor and television personality who hosts ''Answers With Bayless Conley'' on television. ''Answers'' is a weekly program that can be found on CNBC in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East and on other lo ...

, American pastor and television personality *

Brian Conley Brian Paul Conley (born 7 August 1961) is an English actor, comedian, singer and television presenter. Conley has been the host of ''The Brian Conley Show'', as well as presenting the Royal Variety Performance on eight occasions. In his 40-ye ...

(born 1961), English comedian ** ''

The Brian Conley Show ''The Brian Conley Show'' was a comedy variety show, and later a comedy chat show, fronted by comedian Brian Conley. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom on ITV between 1992 and 1995, and then 2000 and 2002. Synopsis The show was commission ...

'' (1992–2002) * Chris Conley (born 1980), American musician * Clint Conley, American rock and roll musician *

Corinne Conley Corinne Alexandra Conley (born May 23, 1929) is an American actress who spent the majority of her career in Canada, notable for having won the Canadian Council of Authors and Artists' Best Actress Award. Conley is known for her voiceover work i ...

(born 1929), American actress * Darlene Conley (1934–2007), Irish-American actress * David Conley (musician) (born 1953), American bassist * Earl Thomas Conley (1941–2019), American country music singer and composer * Eugene Conley (1908–1981), American tenor * Jack Conley (actor), American actor * Joe Conley (1928–2013), American actor * Lige Conley (1897–1937), American actor *

Onest Conley Onest Conley (December 6, 1906 – October 8, 1989) was an American film actor. Early life Born in Evanston, Illinois, his mother was the pioneering African-American film actress Madame Sul-Te-Wan (''née'' Nellie Crawford) and his father was R ...

(1906–1989), American film actor * Renie Conley (1901–1992), American costume designer * Robert Conley (music producer) (born 1973), American record producer, programmer and engineer *

Shannon Conley Shannon Conley (also credited as Sonny Dey, Holly Bobbit, Ursula Conlon, Vibe Jones, Candi Washington and Deborah Zane) is an American voice actress and musician based in New York City. She has done voice work in English dubs of Japanese anime for ...

, American voice actor, and vocalist

Education

* Emma Conley (1869–1928), American home economist, textbook author * J. Michael "Mike" Conley, American teacher (born 1936), see J. Michael Conley Elementary School * Jean Conley, American teacher (died 1982), see

Conley-Caraballo High School Conley-Caraballo High School (CCHS), formerly El Rancho Verde High School, is a public 9-12 continuation high school in south Hayward, California, United States. It is part of the New Haven Unified School District (NHUSD), along with James Logan ...

Military

*Edgar Thomas Conley – Civil War – Pvt. 2nd Md. Inf. C.S.A. KIA 1863 *Edgar Thomas Conley (1874–1956), United States Army, Major General and Adjutant General of the U.S. Army *Edgar Thomas Conley Jr. (1907–1993), United States Army, Brig. General

Politics and law

* Thomas Young Conley (1809–1887), Maryland House of Delegates 1868–1870 *

Andrew Conley Andrew Conley (18 December 1881''1939 England and Wales Register'' – 5 June 1952) was a British trade unionist. Born in Leeds to Irish parents,''Report of the annual conference'' (1952), Labour Party Conley fought in the Second Boer War.Anne ...

(1880/81–1952), British trade unionist * Benjamin F. Conley (1815–1886), American politician (Republican) *

Daniel F. Conley Daniel F. Conley is an American attorney and politician who served as the district attorney for Suffolk County, Massachusetts from 2002 to 2018. Appointed to the office in February 2002, Conley was later elected on November 5, 2002, and again ...

, District Attorney for Suffolk County, Massachusetts *

Dean Conley Harold "Dean" Conley (April 15, 1946 – May 19, 2010) was a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives. References

1946 births Democratic Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives 2010 deaths People from Paintsville, ...

(1946–2010), American politician (Democrat) * Gerard Conley Sr. (1930–2018), American politician (Democrat) *

Gerard Conley Jr. Gerard P. "Gerry" Conley Jr. (born c. 1954) is an American lawyer and politician. He served in the Maine Legislature from 1988 to 1994. Conley was admitted to the Maine and Massachusetts bars and served as an assistant Maine Attorney General. He ...

, American lawyer and politician (Democrat) *

John Conley (Wisconsin politician) John Conley was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Conley was born on December 26, 1828, in Three Rivers, Lower Canada. He later resided in Clinton, Wisconsin. Career Conley was a member of the Assembly during the 1882 and 18 ...

(1828-?), American politician (Republican) * Robert M. "Bob" Conley (born 1965), American pilot and politician (Democrat) *

William G. Conley William Gustavus Conley (January 8, 1866October 21, 1940) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the Attorney General of West Virginia (1908–1913) and 18th governor of West Virginia as a Republican (1929 to 1933). Early and family ...

(1866–1940), Governor of West Virginia (Republican) * William M. Conley (born 1956), American judge

Religion

James D. Conley James Douglas Conley (born March 19, 1955) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska since 2012. He served as an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Denver in Co ...

(born 1955), American bishop

Science

Catharine Conley Catharine Anastasia Conley was NASA's 6th Planetary Protection Officer from 2006 through 2018. Education Conley received her bachelor's from MIT, a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from Cornell University in 1994, and obtained a postdoctoral fellow posit ...

, NASA's Planetary Protection Officer *

Charles C. Conley Charles Cameron Conley (26 September 1933 – 20 November 1984) was an American mathematician who worked on dynamical systems. The Conley index theory and the Conley–Zehnder theorem are named after him. Early life and education Conley was born ...

(1933–1984), American mathematician ** Conley index theory, named after Charles Conley **

Conley–Zehnder theorem In mathematics, the Conley–Zehnder theorem, named after Charles C. Conley and Eduard Zehnder, provides a lower bound for the number of fixed points of Hamiltonian diffeomorphisms of standard symplectic tori in terms of the topology of the unde ...

, named after Charles Conley and Eduard Zehnder *

Dalton Conley Dalton Clark Conley (born 1969) is an American sociologist. Conley is a professor at Princeton University and has written eight books, including a memoir and a sociology textbook. Education Conley attended Stuyvesant High School. He subsequentl ...

(born 1969), American sociologist *

Frances K. Conley Frances "Fran" Krauskopf Conley (born August 12, 1940, in Palo Alto, California) is a professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University. She is the author of ''Walking Out on the Boys'' (1998), the story of her protest of misogyny at the univers ...

, American Neurologist

Sports

Adam Conley Adam Michael Conley (born May 24, 1990) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Miami Marlins from 2015 to 2019 and the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021. Career Miami Marlins Conley was drafted ...

(born 1990), American baseball player *

Bob Conley (baseball) Robert Burns Conley (February 1, 1934 – February 14, 2022) was an American professional baseball starting pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) briefly for the 1958 Philadelphia Phillies. Listed at , , he batted and threw right-ha ...

(1934–2022), American baseball player *

Cale Conley Cale Conley (born May 13, 1992) is an American professional stock car racing driver. Racing career Conley began in go-karts at age 5, working his way through quarter midgets, open-wheel racing and sprint cars, including World of Outlaws and USA ...

(born 1992), American racing driver *

Chris Conley (American football) Christian Conley (born October 25, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Georgia. He was drafted in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft by ...

(born 1992), American football wide receiver *

Frankie Conley Frankie Conley (October 4, 1890 – August 21, 1952) was a bantamweight boxing champion. Biography He was born on October 4, 1890 in Platania, Calabria, Italy as Francesco Conte. He became the bantamweight boxing champion of the world when he kn ...

(1890–1952), American boxer * Gene Conley (1930–2017), American baseball and basketball player * Gareon Conley (born 1995), American football cornerback *

Jack Conley (Australian rules footballer) Jack Conley (18 October 1920 – 7 July 2008) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier re ...

(1920–2008), Australian rules footballer *

Jack Conley (English footballer) John Joseph Conley (27 September 1920 – January 1991) was an English professional footballer, who played as a centre-forward. Conley was born in Whitstable, Kent and joined Charlton Athletic as a junior, but on failing to make the grade joi ...

(1920–1991), English footballer *

Jason Conley Jason Conley (born July 21, 1981) is an American retired professional basketball player who last played for the Helsinki Seagulls in Finland in 2017. A shooting guard and small forward, Conley is best known for being the first freshman to ever l ...

(born 1981), American basketball player * Jim Conley (born c. 1943), American football player *

Kim Conley Kim Conley (born 14 March 1986 in Slough, United Kingdom) is an American track and field athlete, who competes in middle and long distance track events. She finished in third place at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials to qualify for the 2012 Olym ...

(born 1986), American track and field athlete * Larry Conley (born 1944), American basketball player * Leonard Conley (born 1968), American football wide receiver and linebacker *

Mike Conley Sr. Michael Alex Conley Sr. (born October 5, 1962) is an American former track and field athlete who competed primarily in the triple jump and the long jump. In the triple jump, he won an Olympic gold medal in 1992, silver in 1984, and gold in the ...

(born 1962), American triple jumper *

Mike Conley Jr. Michael Alex Conley Jr. (born October 11, 1987) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted as the fourth pick in the 2007 NBA draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. Conle ...

(born 1987), American basketball player *

Scott Conley (American football) Scott Conley (born December 24, 1947) is an American football coach. He is the director for football operations at Arkansas State University, a position he has held since 2021. Conley served as the head football coach at Trinity Valley Community ...

(born 1947), American football coach *

Scott Conley (rugby league) Scott Conley (born 8 June 1973) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played as a and forward for the Newcastle Knights and the Gold Coast Chargers in the NRL in the 1990s. Background Conley was born in Newcastle, ...

(born 1973), Australian rugby league footballer * Snipe Conley (1894–1978), American baseball pitcher *

Steve Conley (linebacker) Donald Steven Conley (born January 18, 1972) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Conley played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis ...

(born 1972), American football player *

Steve Conley (running back) Stephen Craig Conley is a former American football player, who played both running back and linebacker. He played for the Cincinnati Bengals and St. Louis Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL), and also played in the Canadian Football L ...

(born 1949), American football player *

T. J. Conley Timothy Joseph “T. J.” Conley Jr. (born August 29, 1985) is an American football punter who currently is a free agent. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Jets in 2009. He played college football at Idaho. Professional ...

(born 1985), American football punter *

Tim Conley Tim Conley (born December 8, 1958) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour and most recently the Champions Tour. Conley joined the PGA Tour in 1993, earning his card through qualifying school. He did not pe ...

(born 1958), American golfer

Miscellaneous

* Jim Conley (born c. 1884), see Leo Frank

References

{{surname, Conley Anglicised Irish-language surnames Surnames of Irish origin