How common is the surname Law?

32,122 people in the United States had the surname Law in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 9,612 Americans. It ranked 1,089th of 162,253 surnames.

What ethnicity is the surname Law?

In the 2010 Census, 66% of people named Law identified as white (not Hispanic), and 16% as Black (not Hispanic).

Who is the most famous person named Law?

Katrina Law, American actress, followed by Phyllida Law.

Where is the surname Law most common?

Wikidata records people named Law in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.

Is the surname Law getting more or less common?

More common. 30,900 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 32,122 in 2010, up 4.0%.

Is Law also a first name?

Yes. Law is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Law

A patronymic surname, carried by 32,122 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex L000

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Law is more common than 99.3% of them.

Origin

Clipping of Lawrence.

Law is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 32,122 people named Law in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 9,612 Americans. That is up 4.0% since 2000, when the Census counted 30,900.

#1,089

rank among US surnames

32,122

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4%

change since 2000 (was #1,037)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,080	Lancaster	32,362	9,540
#1,081	Goff	32,298	9,559
#1,082	Zapata	32,274	9,566
#1,083	Fulton	32,258	9,571
#1,084	Kang	32,221	9,582
#1,085	Sears	32,206	9,587
#1,086	Lehman	32,180	9,594

Who is named Law

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

66% of people named Law identified as white (not Hispanic), 16% as Black (not Hispanic) and 14% as Asian and Pacific Islander.

White (not Hispanic) 66%
Black (not Hispanic) 16%
Asian and Pacific Islander 14%
Two or more races 2.1%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.4%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Laws

13 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Katrina Law
American actress, born 1985
Phyllida Law
British actress (1932−2026)
John Phillip Law
American film actor (1937-2008)
Acie Law
American basketball player (born 1985)
Vern Law
American baseball player, born 1930
Walter Law
American actor (1876-1940)
Ty Law
American football player (born 1974)
Oliver Law
American labor organizer (1900-1937)
Thomas Law
British actor, born 1992
Rick Law
American illustrator, producer (born 1969)
Stuart Law
Australian cricketer, born 1968
Phillip Law
Australian scientist and explorer (1912–2010)

Notable Laws come mostly from the United States (9), the United Kingdom (2) and Australia (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Law

Law has the Soundex code L000, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code L000.

Questions

Where does the surname Law come from?: Clipping of Lawrence.
How common is the surname Law?: 32,122 people in the United States had the surname Law in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 9,612 Americans. It ranked 1,089th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Law?: In the 2010 Census, 66% of people named Law identified as white (not Hispanic), and 16% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Law?: Katrina Law, American actress, followed by Phyllida Law.
Where is the surname Law most common?: Wikidata records people named Law in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
What type of surname is Law?: Law is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Law getting more or less common?: More common. 30,900 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 32,122 in 2010, up 4.0%.
Is Law also a first name?: Yes. Law is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.