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

Lawrence, 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 Lawrence surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lawrence in America

Lawrence is the 232nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lawrence surname appeared 129,699 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 44 people would have the surname Lawrence.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lawrence 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 Lawrence

The surname Lawrence is of Anglo-Norman French origin, deriving from the personal name Laurence, itself coming from the Latin name Laurentius. This Latin name was initially a nickname relating to someone from Laurentum, an ancient city in Italy renowned for its laurel trees.

Lawrence first appeared as a surname in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Early records show variations like Laurence, Laurens, and Lawrance as families adopted hereditary surnames. It was particularly prevalent in counties like Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Essex.

One of the earliest known bearers was Godefridus Laurentii, recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a tenant in Wiltshire. Another early entry is Ralph Laurenz listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166.

In Scotland, the name traces back to the late 12th century with mentions of Hugh Laurence and William Laurence in Ayrshire charters from around 1200. The Lawrence family held lands in the Lothians region from the 13th century onwards.

Notable individuals with this surname include Sir Robert Lawrence (c.1298-1352), Lord High Treasurer of England under Edward III, and Henry Lawrence (1600-1664), an English soldier, writer and President of Cromwell's Council of State.

Other prominent bearers are Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830), the acclaimed English painter and president of the Royal Academy, and Sir John Laird Mair Lawrence (1811-1879), Viceroy of India from 1864 to 1869 who helped suppress the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

A place name link exists with the village of Lawrence in Somerset, recorded as Laurencia in the Domesday survey, likely derived from the personal name Lawrence or a Norman landowner called Laurent.

The varied spellings of this distinguished surname over centuries reflect its widespread adoption across Britain from Anglo-Norman roots, with many notable bearers playing important roles throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lawrence

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

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

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

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