How common is the surname Lawrence?

129,699 people in the United States had the surname Lawrence in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,380 Americans. It ranked 232nd of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Lawrence?

Jennifer Lawrence, American actress and producer (born 1990), followed by Ernest Lawrence.

Where is the surname Lawrence most common?

Wikidata records people named Lawrence in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Lawrence?

Lawrence is /ˈlɔɹəns/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Lawrence getting more or less common?

More common. 124,321 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 129,699 in 2010, up 4.3%.

Is Lawrence also a first name?

Yes. Lawrence 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 Lawrence

A patronymic surname, carried by 129,699 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈlɔɹəns/ 2 syllables Soundex L652 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Lawrence is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

See Laurence.

Lawrence 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 129,699 people named Lawrence in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 2,380 Americans. That is up 4.3% since 2000, when the Census counted 124,321.

#232

rank among US surnames

129,699

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+4.3%

change since 2000 (was #219)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#223	Perkins	131,440	2,349
#224	Hoffman	131,401	2,350
#225	Johnston	131,373	2,350
#226	Matthews	131,303	2,351
#227	Pena	130,776	2,361
#228	Richards	130,529	2,365
#229	Contreras	130,164	2,372

Who is named Lawrence

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

69% of people named Lawrence identified as white (not Hispanic), 25% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 69%
Black (not Hispanic) 25%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
Two or more races 2.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.9%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.7%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Lawrences

63 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Jennifer Lawrence
American actress and producer (born 1990)
Ernest Lawrence
American nuclear physicist (1901–1958)
T. E. Lawrence
British archaeologist, army officer and diplomat (1888–1935)
Martin Lawrence
American actor and comedian (born 1965)
Francis Lawrence
American director (born 1971)
Joey Lawrence
American actor, singer and songwriter, born 1976
Sharon Lawrence
American actress, born 1961
Matthew Lawrence
American actor, born 1980
Mr. Lawrence
American voice actor, born 1969
George Newbold Lawrence
American businessman and amateur ornithologist (1806-1895)
Steve Lawrence
American singer and actor (1935–2024)
James Lawrence
Association football player, born 1992

Notable Lawrences come mostly from the United States (53), the United Kingdom (5) and Australia (3).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Lieurance

Surnames that sound like Lawrence

Lawrence has the Soundex code L652, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code L652.

Questions

Where does the surname Lawrence come from?: See Laurence.
How common is the surname Lawrence?: 129,699 people in the United States had the surname Lawrence in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 2,380 Americans. It ranked 232nd of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Lawrence?: In the 2010 Census, 69% of people named Lawrence identified as white (not Hispanic), and 25% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Lawrence?: Jennifer Lawrence, American actress and producer (born 1990), followed by Ernest Lawrence.
Where is the surname Lawrence most common?: Wikidata records people named Lawrence in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Lawrence?: Lawrence is /ˈlɔɹəns/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Lawrence?: Lawrence is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Lawrence getting more or less common?: More common. 124,321 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 129,699 in 2010, up 4.3%.
What are other spellings of Lawrence?: Lieurance.
Is Lawrence also a first name?: Yes. Lawrence 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.