2000
#11,146
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,611
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Lawhon
Derived from the Old English word "hlaw," meaning a small hill or mound, likely referring to a person's residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,816 Americans carry the last name Lawhon. That puts it at #12,111 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,717 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lawhon 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.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 121,717
Census rank
#12,111
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,456 bearers of the surname Lawhon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12111th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawhon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lawhon
The surname LAWHON has its origins in England, dating back to the late medieval period. It is believed to be a locational surname derived from the Old English words "hlaw" or "hlaew," meaning a small hill or mound, and "tun," meaning a farm or settlement. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived on or near a small hill or raised area of land.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name LAWHON can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, which lists a John de Lauhton. The spelling variations in this early record, such as "Lauhton" and "Lauton," reflect the phonetic nature of the name's spelling during that time period.
In the 16th century, the name LAWHON appeared in various parish records across England. For instance, in the parish records of Biddulph, Staffordshire, there is an entry from 1573 for the christening of Johane Lawton. This spelling, "Lawton," became more commonly used in later centuries.
Some notable individuals bearing the surname LAWHON throughout history include:
1. John Lawton (c. 1600 - 1670), an English soldier who fought in the English Civil War and later became a settler in Virginia.
2. William Lawton (1772 - 1848), an American politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia.
3. Amos Lawton (1818 - 1892), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Lawton Manufacturing Company in Massachusetts.
4. Lancelot Lawton (1881 - 1942), a British actor and film director best known for his silent films during the early 20th century.
5. Henry Ware Lawton (1843 - 1899), a highly decorated American military officer who fought in the Civil War and the Spanish-American War.
While the name LAWHON is believed to have originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. However, its roots can be traced back to the small hill or raised area of land that may have been the original home of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lawhon
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawhon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lawhon 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 Lawhon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 2,212
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 105
- Two or more races2.9% · 71
- Black or African American1.2% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lawhon
Lawhon 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
#11,767
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,662
+51 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 621 places
2020
#12,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,456
-206 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 344 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,146 | 2,611 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,767 | 2,662 | 0.90 | +51 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 621 places |
| 2020 | #12,111 | 2,456 | 0.82 | -206 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 344 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 Lawhon 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 | #11,767 | #12,111 | -2.9% |
| Count | 2,662 | 2,456 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.82 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lawhon bearers went from 2,662 to 2,456 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 344 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,767 to #12,111.
FAQ
Lawhon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lawhon?
Name Census estimates that about 2,816 living Americans carry the surname Lawhon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,717 residents.
How common is Lawhon?
Lawhon ranks #12,111 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,456 people with the surname Lawhon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,816), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lawhon.
Has Lawhon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lawhon went from 2,662 recorded bearers to 2,456. That is a decrease of 206 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,767 to #12,111.
What does the Census say about the background of Lawhon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawhon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Lawhon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (2,212 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lawhon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Lawhon (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 Lawhon mean?
Derived from the Old English word "hlaw," meaning a small hill or mound, likely referring to a person's residence. 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 Lawhon (0.82 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 are called Lawhon?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Lawhon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.