2000
#2,336
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,194
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.26
Uncommon Last name
Lawler
An Irish occupational surname referring to a merchant, landlord, or law enforcer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,113 Americans carry the last name Lawler. That puts it at #2,503 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,272 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lawler 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 Lawler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,272
Census rank
#2,503
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,051 bearers of the surname Lawler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2503rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawler, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lawler
The surname Lawler is of Irish origin, deriving from the Gaelic word "Labhradha," which means "loud voice" or "speaker." It is believed to have originated in the 12th century in County Galway, Ireland.
The name Lawler is thought to have been initially a nickname for someone with a powerful or booming voice, perhaps a storyteller or orator. Over time, this nickname became a hereditary surname passed down through generations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lawler is found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The document mentions a Diarmaid Ó Labhradha, an Irish chieftain from County Galway, who lived in the late 12th century.
Another early reference to the name Lawler comes from the 14th century, when a John Lawler was listed as a landowner in the Pipe Rolls of County Galway. This suggests that the Lawler family had established itself as a prominent clan in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Fergal Ó Labhradha, anglicized as Fergal Lawler, was a celebrated Irish poet and bard. He was renowned for his poetic compositions and is mentioned in various literary works of the era.
During the 17th century, the surname Lawler began to spread beyond County Galway as the family migrated to other parts of Ireland and eventually to other countries, such as England and America. One prominent individual was John Lawler, born in 1668, who was a successful merchant and landowner in County Cork.
In the 18th century, a famous bearer of the Lawler name was Robert Lawler, born in 1720 in County Tipperary. He was a renowned scholar and educator who served as the headmaster of several prestigious schools in Ireland.
Another notable figure was Michael Lawler, born in 1799 in County Mayo. He was a prominent Irish revolutionary who participated in the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and later became a respected writer and historian, documenting the struggles for Irish independence.
As the Lawler family continued to disperse worldwide, the surname gained recognition in various fields. One such individual was John Lawler, an American politician born in 1837, who served as a U.S. Congressman from Illinois in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lawler
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawler, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lawler 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 Lawler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 12,156
- Black or African American5.2% · 724
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 529
- Two or more races3.4% · 478
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lawler
Lawler 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
#2,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,387
+193 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 4.88
Rank movement Down 180 places
2020
#2,503
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,051
-336 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 4.70
Rank movement Up 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,336 | 14,194 | 5.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,516 | 14,387 | 4.88 | +193 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 180 places |
| 2020 | #2,503 | 14,051 | 4.70 | -336 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 13 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 Lawler 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 | #2,516 | #2,503 | 0.5% |
| Count | 14,387 | 14,051 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 4.88 | 4.70 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lawler bearers went from 14,387 to 14,051 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,516 to #2,503.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lawler
FAQ
Lawler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lawler?
Name Census estimates that about 16,113 living Americans carry the surname Lawler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,272 residents.
How common is Lawler?
Lawler ranks #2,503 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,051 people with the surname Lawler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,113), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Lawler.
Has Lawler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lawler went from 14,387 recorded bearers to 14,051. That is a decrease of 336 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,516 to #2,503.
What does the Census say about the background of Lawler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawler, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Lawler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (12,156 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lawler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (5.2%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Lawler (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 Lawler mean?
An Irish occupational surname referring to a merchant, landlord, or law enforcer. 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 Lawler (4.70 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 last name Lawler?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Lawler, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.