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

Lawhead, 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 Lawhead surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lawhead in America

Lawhead is the 18366th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lawhead surname appeared 1,508 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lawhead.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lawhead 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 Lawhead

The surname Lawhead is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hlaw" meaning "hill" and "heafod" meaning "head." It is believed to have originated as a toponymic surname, referring to someone who lived near a prominent hill or headland.

The earliest known recording of the surname Lawhead dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Lawehefde" and "Laweheved." This indicates that the name was already established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the surname was found in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire. The spelling variations included Lawhead, Lawheade, Lawhede, and Lawed.

One notable historical figure with this surname was John Lawhead, a wealthy merchant from York who lived in the 14th century. He is mentioned in several records from that period, including the York Minster archives.

In the 16th century, the Lawhead family established roots in the village of Lawhead near Rochdale, Lancashire. This place-name likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that region.

Sir Thomas Lawhead (1592-1662) was a prominent English judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Charles I. He served as a Justice of the Common Pleas and played a significant role in the legal disputes surrounding the English Civil War.

Another notable individual was Robert Lawhead (1666-1732), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer. He made important contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1718.

During the 18th century, the Lawhead family expanded to other parts of the British Isles, including Ireland and Scotland. One notable figure was William Lawhead (1744-1819), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile trade.

In the 19th century, members of the Lawhead family migrated to various parts of the British Empire, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. One such individual was John Lawhead (1812-1893), a pioneer settler in Ontario, Canada, who established a successful farming community.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lawhead

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

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 Lawhead 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 Lawhead 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 Lawhead was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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