The Lawlor surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,729 people carried this name — #6,001 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 51,500 people counted. That is up 5% from 5,463 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Lawlor surname

Variant of Lawler.

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

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 142 births for the Lawlor name in 1890.

Most were registered in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 6,300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The count includes the spelling Tima.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 115
Munster 25
Ulster 2

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

In Scotland’s registers today

Lawlor was recorded 14 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1484th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Lawlor in American newspapers,
1872–1920.

Newspaper page from Dodgeville Chronicle carrying the name Lawlor
Dodgeville Chronicle 1872-02-09
Newspaper page from The Pacific Commercial Advertiser carrying the name Lawlor
The Pacific Commercial Advertiser 1910-08-15
Newspaper page from The Brattleboro Daily Reformer carrying the name Lawlor
The Brattleboro Daily Reformer 1920-06-01

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 47,778 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Lawlor in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1990s.

13,315 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Lawlor. The most, 2,584, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 4,990
New South Wales 4,657
Queensland 2,511
South Australia 735
Tasmania 223
Western Australia 133
ACT (Canberra) 48
Northern Territory 7

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

Who carried it

People named Lawlor,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Pat Lawlor
    Pat Lawlor 1893–1979 · journalist
  • Mary Lawlor
    Mary Lawlor 1907–1977 · stage actor
  • Gerri Lawlor
    Gerri Lawlor 1969–2019 · actor

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — Gerri Lawlor: unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/); the others are in the public domain or CC0 · 103 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Lawlor,
in the records of 8 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 States2,421 records

2,421 records of the Lawlor name in the United States
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,010
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 656
  • Other U.S. records 755
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Francis W. Lawlor

    Born 1913 in Hungary. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island, New York; sales clerk. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1970, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    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 Honorah Lawlor

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Majestic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 20; servant. From Newry, Ireland; bound for Brooklyn.

    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 James V. Lawlor

    Born 1948; from Chicago, Illinois. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam.

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

Showing 3 of 2,421 records for Lawlor 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, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (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).

Australia534 records

534 records of the Lawlor name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 212
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 175
  • Other Australian records 147
  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 Bridget Lawlor

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Earl Grey, sailing from Kingston in 1849. Native of Tipperary. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1851.

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

    Arrived in Victoria in 1860 aboard the Red Jacket, aged 35; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Albert F. Lawlor

    Former farmer of Nullawarre, Victoria; died 1940.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 534 records for Lawlor in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada475 records

475 records of the Lawlor name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 428
  • Halifax municipal cemeteries 17
  • Other Canadian records 30
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Brady Almon Lawlor

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 23; buried at Spry Bay.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Michael Lawlor

    Came to Ontario in 1876 aboard the Circassian, landing at Quebec, bound for London, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Emily May Lawlor

    Buried in 1930 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 29.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 475 records for Lawlor in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

New Zealand13 records

13 records of the Lawlor name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 8
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 4
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Patrick Lawlor

    Buried in 1914 at Tararu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 71.

    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 Martin Joseph Lawlor

    Died 1951, aged 55; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record J. Lawlor

    New Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 13 records for Lawlor in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).

United Kingdom13 records

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

    Died 1924, aged 29; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record P. J. Lawlor

    York and Lancaster Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Lawlor

    Died 1965, aged 35; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 13 records for Lawlor in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Ireland2 records

2 records of the Lawlor name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Martin Lawlor

    Died 1995, aged 83; buried at Labane, 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 Teresa Eileen Lawlor

    Died 1987, aged 67; buried at Labane, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

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).

France1 record

1 record of the Lawlor 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 Conor Brian Lawlor

    Born 1963 in Ireland; died 1992 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

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).

Netherlands1 record

1 record of the Lawlor name in the Netherlands Dutch population registers
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Mary Teresa Lawlor

    In the population register of Dublin, Ireland; born 1886 in Dublin, Ireland.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Lawlor.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Lawlor is.
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