2000
#12,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,347
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Lawley
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "meadow by a hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,611 Americans carry the last name Lawley. That puts it at #12,902 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lawley 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 Lawley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 131,273
Census rank
#12,902
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,277 bearers of the surname Lawley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12902nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lawley
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lawley 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 Lawley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 2,011
- Two or more races4.2% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 85
- Black or African American2.1% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lawley
Lawley 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
#13,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,292
-55 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 1,138 places
2020
#12,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,277
-15 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 404 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,168 | 2,347 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,306 | 2,292 | 0.78 | -55 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 1,138 places |
| 2020 | #12,902 | 2,277 | 0.76 | -15 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 404 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 Lawley 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 | #13,306 | #12,902 | 3.0% |
| Count | 2,292 | 2,277 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.76 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lawley bearers went from 2,292 to 2,277 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 404 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,306 to #12,902.
FAQ
Lawley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lawley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,611 living Americans carry the surname Lawley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,273 residents.
How common is Lawley?
Lawley ranks #12,902 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,277 people with the surname Lawley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,611), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Lawley.
Has Lawley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lawley went from 2,292 recorded bearers to 2,277. That is a decrease of 15 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,306 to #12,902.
What does the Census say about the background of Lawley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawley, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Lawley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (2,011 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lawley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Lawley (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 Lawley mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "meadow by a hill" in Old English. 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 Lawley (0.76 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 surname Lawley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.