2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lawonn
A French surname derived from a place name referring to someone from a particular locale.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Lawonn. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lawonn 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Lawonn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawonn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lawonn
The surname LAWONN has its origins in the German region of Bavaria, dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "lau," meaning "grove" or "meadow," combined with "onn," a locational suffix indicating a place or settlement. This suggests that the name may have referred to individuals who lived near or owned a meadow or grove.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Bavaria, where a certain Hans Lawonn is mentioned as a resident in 1532. It is likely that the family had established roots in the region prior to this date, as surnames were becoming more widespread during this period.
In the 17th century, the LAWONN name appeared in various church records and municipal documents across Bavaria and neighboring regions. Notable individuals from this era include Johann Lawonn (1612-1687), a respected physician in the city of Regensburg, and Katherina Lawonn (1628-1701), a landowner in the village of Erlbach.
As the LAWONN family dispersed throughout Germany over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, such as Lawon, Lauon, and Lauwonn. These were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.
One notable figure bearing the LAWONN surname was Friedrich Lawonn (1788-1853), a Prussian military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. His bravery and leadership earned him the Iron Cross, one of Prussia's highest military honors.
Another prominent individual was Elise Lawonn (1829-1903), a German author and educator who wrote several influential works on childhood education and founded several schools in Berlin.
In the late 19th century, the LAWONN family also made its mark in the field of architecture. Heinrich Lawonn (1856-1931) was a renowned architect based in Munich, responsible for designing several iconic buildings, including the Bavarian National Museum.
While the name LAWONN has spread to various parts of the world due to immigration, its roots can be traced back to the meadows and groves of Bavaria, where it originated as a locational surname centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lawonn
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawonn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lawonn 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 Lawonn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 102
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lawonn
Lawonn 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-7 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,091 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,268 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 17,091 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 3,268 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 Lawonn 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 | #154,907 | #151,639 | 2.1% |
| Count | 105 | 107 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lawonn bearers went from 105 to 107 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 3,268 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #151,639.
FAQ
Lawonn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lawonn?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Lawonn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Lawonn?
Lawonn ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Lawonn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lawonn.
Has Lawonn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lawonn went from 105 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Lawonn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawonn, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Lawonn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lawonn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Lawonn (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 Lawonn mean?
A French surname derived from a place name referring to someone from a particular locale. 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 Lawonn (0.04 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 Lawonn?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Lawonn at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.