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

Lawley, 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 Lawley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lawley in America

Lawley is the 13306th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lawley surname appeared 2,292 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 Lawley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lawley 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 Lawley

The surname Lawley is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English words "hlaw" meaning "hill" or "mound," and "leah" meaning "woodland" or "clearing." This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who lived near a wooded hill or clearing on a hill.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. One of the earliest documented references is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a William de la Leygh residing in Staffordshire.

Throughout the medieval period, the name appeared in various spellings, including Lawelegh, Laweleygh, and Lawley, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in pronunciation. The Lawley family held land and properties in Shropshire, with records indicating their presence in the area as early as the 14th century.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Lawley name was Sir Thomas Lawley (c. 1520-1559), who served as Sheriff of Shropshire and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent individual was Sir Francis Lawley (1572-1634), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Shropshire.

During the 17th century, the Lawley family continued to maintain a strong presence in Shropshire, with several members serving as Members of Parliament and holding influential positions within the local community. One such figure was Sir Robert Lawley (1607-1668), who served as a Royalist during the English Civil War and was later knighted by King Charles II.

In the 18th century, the Lawley name gained further prominence with the rise of Sir Robert Lawley (1736-1834), a prominent politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for several decades. He was also involved in the establishment of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney, Australia.

Another notable figure from this time period was Sir Edward Lawley (1770-1846), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the Battle of Trafalgar and later became a Member of Parliament.

As the centuries progressed, the Lawley surname continued to be associated with influential individuals in various fields, including politics, military, and landownership, primarily concentrated in the Shropshire region and other parts of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lawley

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

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

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

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