The Lawless surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,093 people carried this name — #3,903 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 32,500 people counted. That is up 3% from 8,833 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Lawless surname

From Middle English laweles (“lawless”), a nickname for an unrestrained and licentious man.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Lawless» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the lawless’.

An early record he cites: Hugo Laghlese, 1314 — Writs of Parliament.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 471 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 42 births for the Lawless name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,900 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 21
Connacht 14
Ulster 4
Munster 3

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In print

Lawless in American newspapers,
1826–1914.

Newspaper page from Daily National Intelligencer carrying the name Lawless
Daily National Intelligencer 1830-12-23
Newspaper page from The Evening World carrying the name Lawless
The Evening World 1914-12-18
Newspaper page from The National Republican And Ohio Political Register carrying the name Lawless
The National Republican And Ohio Political Register 1826-06-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,758 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Lawless in Australian newspapers,
1810s–1990s.

14,618 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Lawless. The most, 2,138, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Queensland, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 6,221
Victoria 3,640
Queensland 3,514
South Australia 533
Western Australia 283
Tasmania 261
ACT (Canberra) 116
Northern Territory 10

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Lawless.

Who carried it

People named Lawless,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Emily Lawless
    Emily Lawless 1845–1913 · writer
  • Jill Lawless d. 2021 · journalist
  • Séamus Lawless d. 2019 · researcher
  • Robert Lawless d. 1779
  • William Lawless 1772–1824 · surgeon
  • Valentine Lawless 1805–1825

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Lawless,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,167 records

2,167 records of the Lawless name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 633
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 572
  • Other U.S. records 962
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Curtis E. Lawless

    Born 1914 in Kentucky. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana; inspector. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens, Greenwood, Indiana.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Lawless

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the City of Rome from Liverpool, aged 20; servant. From Sligo, Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record William Ralph Lawless

    Born 1946; from Pelzer, South Carolina. U.S. Army, indirect fire infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Binh Duong, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 2,167 records for Lawless in the United States.

Counts: NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia621 records

621 records of the Lawless name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 221
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 138
  • Other Australian records 262
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Ann Lawless

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Blackfriar, sailing from Kingston in 1851. Native of Galway. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1852. Married 1852 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 30.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Lucy Isabella Lawless

    Born 1878 in Kingston, Tasmania. Married 1899 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 21.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Louisa Lawless

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Eagle, aged 52; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 621 records for Lawless in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada66 records

66 records of the Lawless name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 44
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 10
  • Other Canadian records 12
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Marcel Lawless

    Killed in 1935 at the Dominion No. 11 mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Doris Lawless

    Buried in 1988 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 82.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Francis Earl Lawless

    Died in service in 1945.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 66 records for Lawless in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom19 records

19 records of the Lawless name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 6
  • Stirling Council burial records 6
  • Other British records 7
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Margaret Lawless

    Died 1979, aged 80; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Edith Isabella Lawless

    Will proved in 1938; of Harrington Square, London.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Lawless

    Duke of Wellington's Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Lawless in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Ireland11 records

11 records of the Lawless name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Lawless

    Died 1923, aged 36; buried at Killimorday, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ellen Lawless

    Died 1989, aged 73; buried at Glenamaddy (New), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Lawless

    Died 1891, aged 53; buried at Athenry Heritage Centre, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Lawless in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand6 records

6 records of the Lawless name in New Zealand
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 5
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Catherine Lawless

    Buried in 1891 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 39.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Campbell Lawless

    Died 1954, aged 80; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Lawless

    Buried in 1890 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Lawless in New Zealand.

Counts: Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France6 records

6 records of the Lawless name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Michael John Joseph Lawless

    Born 1920 in Ireland; died 1991 in Montivilliers (Seine-Maritime).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Elizabeth Mary Lawless

    Born 1940 in Ireland; died 1999 in Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrénées).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Henry Alan Lawless

    Born 1932 in Paris; died 1992 in Chaville (Hauts-de-Seine).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Lawless in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Lawless.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Lawless is.
A volume says what happened to it.

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