Find out how popular the last name Lawas is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lawas.

Lawas, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lawas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lawas in America

Lawas is the 110825th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lawas surname appeared 159 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lawas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lawas to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Lawas

The surname LAWAS is believed to have originated in the Philippines during the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Visayan word "lawas," which means "body" or "person." The name may have initially been used to refer to a person's physical characteristics or stature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LAWAS can be found in the "Libro de las Tasaciones de Tributos" (Book of Tribute Assessments), a Spanish colonial document from the late 16th century. This document listed the names of individuals and families who were required to pay taxes to the Spanish colonial government.

In the 17th century, the name LAWAS appeared in various church records and baptismal registers in the Philippines. One notable individual with this surname was Juan LAWAS, born in 1632 in the town of Taal, Batangas. He was a farmer and landowner who played a significant role in the local community.

During the 18th century, the name LAWAS became more widespread, particularly in the Visayas region of the Philippines. One notable bearer of this name was Catalina LAWAS, born in 1725 in Cebu. She was a renowned folk healer and herbalist, and her knowledge of traditional medicine was widely respected in her community.

In the 19th century, the LAWAS family continued to be prominent in the Philippines. Manuel LAWAS, born in 1842 in Iloilo, was a respected educator and writer who contributed greatly to the preservation of local literature and culture.

Another notable individual with the surname LAWAS was Emilio LAWAS, born in 1879 in Leyte. He was a lawyer and political activist who fought for Philippine independence from Spanish colonial rule. Emilio LAWAS was briefly imprisoned for his involvement in the Philippine Revolution but was later released and continued his advocacy for Philippine sovereignty.

The LAWAS surname has also been found in various parts of the world, likely due to migration and diaspora from the Philippines. However, its roots and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the Philippines, where it has a long and rich history spanning several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lawas

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lawas.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lawas was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lawas has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lawas was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lawas, please contact us.

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