2000
#1,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,900
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.45
Uncommon Last name
Law
An occupational surname referring to someone who enforced or practiced law, or who was a lawmaker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 36,828 Americans carry the last name Law. That puts it at #1,072 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Law surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Law with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
37K
1 in 9,307
Census rank
#1,072
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
32K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 32,116 bearers of the surname Law in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1072nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Law, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.4%) and Black (14.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Law
The surname LAW is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hlaw" which means a hill or mound. It was originally a topographic name given to someone who lived near a hill or mound.
The name can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "de la Lawe" in Oxfordshire. This early spelling indicates that the name was initially a locational surname, referring to a specific place called "Lawe" or a similar variation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LAW can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a Richard de la Lawe was mentioned. This suggests that the name was well-established in various regions of England by the 12th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in several historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, which listed a John atte Lawe. The use of the preposition "atte" in this spelling further reinforces the topographic origin of the name.
During the Middle Ages, the surname LAW was also associated with various place names, such as Law Hill in Warwickshire and Law Hill in Cheshire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English word "hlaw," indicating the presence of hills or mounds in those areas.
Notable historical figures with the surname LAW include:
1. John Law (1671-1729), a Scottish economist and financial theorist, known for his role in the Mississippi Bubble.
2. William Law (1686-1761), an English theologian and spiritual writer, author of "A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life."
3. Edmund Law (1703-1787), an English theologian and philosopher, who served as the Bishop of Carlisle.
4. Edward Law, 1st Earl of Ellenborough (1750-1818), a British politician and lawyer who served as Lord Chief Justice of England.
5. Andrew Law (1749-1821), an American military officer who served in the Revolutionary War and later became a politician in Connecticut.
The surname LAW has a rich history dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period in England, and its origins can be traced to the topographic features of the areas where it was first adopted. Over the centuries, the name has been associated with various notable individuals across various fields, reflecting its enduring presence in English-speaking societies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Law
Among Census respondents with the surname Law, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.4%) and Black (14.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Law bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Law surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.5% · 20,085
- Asian and Pacific Islander15.4% · 4,931
- Black or African American14.7% · 4,719
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,286
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 954
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 141
Timeline
Historical Census data for Law
Law appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,089
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,122
+1,222 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 10.89
Rank movement Down 52 places
2020
#1,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,116
-6 bearers (-0.0%)
Per 100,000 10.74
Rank movement Up 17 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,037 | 30,900 | 11.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,089 | 32,122 | 10.89 | +1,222 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 52 places |
| 2020 | #1,072 | 32,116 | 10.74 | -6 bearers (-0.0%) | Up 17 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Law surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,089 | #1,072 | 1.6% |
| Count | 32,122 | 32,116 | -0.0% |
| Per 100K | 10.89 | 10.74 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Law bearers went from 32,122 to 32,116 (+-0.0% change). The surname moved up 17 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,089 to #1,072.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Law
FAQ
Law surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Law?
Name Census estimates that about 36,828 living Americans carry the surname Law. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,307 residents.
How common is Law?
Law ranks #1,072 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 11 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 32,116 people with the surname Law. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (36,828), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 11 of them to have the surname Law.
Has Law become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Law went from 32,122 recorded bearers to 32,116. That is a decrease of 6 (-0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,089 to #1,072.
What does the Census say about the background of Law?
Among Census respondents with the surname Law, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (15.4%) and Black (14.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Law in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.5% (20,085 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Law appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (15.4%), Black (14.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Law (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Law mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who enforced or practiced law, or who was a lawmaker. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Law (10.74 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Law?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.