Lawell
An English name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Lawell. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lawell today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lawell births was 1918 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lawell. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Lawell. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1918
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1918 SSA rank
#4,516
Tracked since 1918
Popularity
Lawell: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Lawell by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Lawell during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Lawell
The given name Lawell has its roots in ancient Germanic languages, tracing back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from the Proto-Germanic word *lawaz, meaning "praise" or "to praise." The name likely emerged as a compound word, with the prefix "la-" signifying "with" or "by," and the suffix "-well" denoting a person's character or essence. Thus, Lawell can be interpreted as "one who is praised" or "one who is worthy of praise."
In the early medieval period, variations of the name were found in various Germanic tribes, such as the Franks, Saxons, and Lombards. Ancient texts and records from this era, particularly those written in Old High German and Old English, contain references to individuals bearing names like Lawell or its linguistic cousins.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval Saxon charters and documents dating back to the 9th century. This document features a nobleman named Lawell, who was a landowner and prominent figure in the region now known as Saxony, Germany.
In the 11th century, a monk named Lawell was renowned for his scholarly contributions to the Benedictine monastery in Cluny, France. His writings on theology and philosophy were influential in the intellectual circles of the time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Lawell de Montfort, a 12th-century nobleman from the Montfort family in France. He participated in the Third Crusade alongside King Richard I of England and was known for his valor on the battlefield.
In the 13th century, an Italian artist named Lawell Buonarroti, a distant relative of the renowned Michelangelo Buonarroti, gained recognition for his frescoes and illuminated manuscripts. His works can still be admired in various churches and museums across Italy.
During the Renaissance period, a German mathematician and astronomer named Lawell Kepler (1571-1630) made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. He is best known for his laws of planetary motion and his support for the heliocentric model of the solar system.
While the name Lawell has declined in popularity in recent centuries, it remains a testament to the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of the Germanic peoples. Its historical significance and the accomplishments of those who bore it have left an indelible mark on the tapestry of human civilization.
People
Lawell + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lawell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lawell: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lawell?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lawell going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Lawell a common name?
We classify Lawell as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lawell most popular?
The single biggest year for Lawell was 1918, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lawell is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Lawell in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lawell a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lawell in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Lawell still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lawell in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Lawell can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Lawell?
Find out how many people have the name Lawell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.