Lawney
Feminine form of the masculine name Lawrence, meaning "laurel plant" or "from Laurentum".
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Lawney. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lawney today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lawney births was 1939 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lawney. 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
- • The typical person named Lawney is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Lawneys were born before 1959.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Lawney. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1939
5 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1939 SSA rank
#3,752
Tracked since 1939
Popularity
Lawney: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Lawney 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 Lawney during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Lawney
The name Lawney finds its origins in the ancient Gaelic language, which was spoken by the Celtic people of Ireland and Scotland. It is believed to have emerged around the 5th century AD, during the height of the Gaelic cultural influence in these regions.
Lawney is derived from the Gaelic word "lann," which means "enclosure" or "land." It was likely originally used as a surname to denote someone who lived on or owned a particular piece of land. Over time, it evolved into a given name, though its precise transition from a surname to a first name is not well documented.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lawney can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. In an entry dated 1018 AD, a man named Lawney mac Aedha is mentioned as having been involved in a battle in the province of Ulster.
In the 12th century, a Lawney O'Conchobhair is noted as having been an Irish nobleman and a member of the powerful O'Conor dynasty that ruled the Kingdom of Connacht. He is believed to have lived from around 1130 to 1190 AD.
Another notable figure with the name Lawney was Lawney de Burgh, an Anglo-Norman nobleman who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. He was a member of the powerful de Burgh family and served as the Lord of Connaught, a region in western Ireland.
In the 16th century, a Lawney O'Neill is recorded as having been a chieftain of the O'Neill clan, one of the most powerful Gaelic families in Ulster. He is said to have lived from around 1510 to 1580 AD.
A more recent historical figure with the name Lawney was Lawney MacLean, a Scottish Highland chief who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was the 12th Chief of the Clan MacLean and is known for his involvement in the Jacobite risings, which aimed to restore the Catholic Stuart monarchy to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland.
While the name Lawney has its roots in the Gaelic language and culture, it has since spread to other parts of the world, though it remains relatively uncommon. Its historical significance lies in its connection to influential figures and families in the medieval and early modern periods of Irish and Scottish history.
People
Lawney + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lawney 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
Lawney: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lawney?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lawney 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 1 in 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Lawney a common name?
We classify Lawney as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% 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 Lawney most popular?
The single biggest year for Lawney was 1939, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lawney is about 77 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 Lawney in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lawney a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lawney 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 Lawney still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lawney 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 Lawney 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 Lawney?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.