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

McLawrence, 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 McLawrence surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McLawrence in America

McLawrence is the 135593rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McLawrence surname appeared 124 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McLawrence.

We can also compare 2010 data for McLawrence 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 McLawrence

The surname MCLAWRENCE is of Scottish origin, dating back to the medieval period. It is a variant of the more common McLaren, which derives from the Gaelic name "Labhran" or "Labhruinn," meaning "noisy" or "loud-voiced." The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" denotes "son of" in Gaelic.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document listing Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "Gillecrist M'Laurence" is believed to refer to a member of the MCLAWRENCE family.

The MCLAWRENCE surname is closely associated with the region of Argyll and the Western Isles of Scotland. It is believed to have originated in the area around Loch Fyne, where the clan McLaren had its ancestral lands. The name may also be connected to the village of Kilmichael Glassary, formerly known as Kilmichael Lochrane or Kilmichael Labhruinn.

In the 16th century, there are records of a notable MCLAWRENCE family in the parish of Kilbride, Arran. One member, Donald MCLAWRENCE, was a respected landowner and served as a baillie (magistrate) for the Isle of Arran in the late 1500s.

Another prominent figure was Sir Robert MCLAWRENCE (1570-1638), a Scottish soldier who fought in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He was knighted by King Charles I in 1627 for his military service.

In the 17th century, the MCLAWRENCE family expanded its influence, with members holding positions of authority in various parts of Scotland. One such individual was John MCLAWRENCE (1625-1697), who served as the Provost (mayor) of Inveraray, the traditional capital of Argyll.

During the Jacobite risings of the 18th century, the MCLAWRENCES were staunch supporters of the House of Stuart. Archibald MCLAWRENCE (1702-1771) was a Captain in the Jacobite army and fought at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

In more recent times, notable bearers of the MCLAWRENCE surname include Sir James MCLAWRENCE (1819-1890), a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry, and Iain MCLAWRENCE (1927-2014), a Scottish actor and writer best known for his role in the television series "Taggart."

While the MCLAWRENCE surname is not as common as its parent name McLaren, it remains a proud part of Scotland's rich clan history, with a legacy spanning centuries and touching upon various aspects of Scottish society, from military exploits to civic leadership and cultural achievements.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McLawrence

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!