The Lawson surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 119,053 people carried this name — #256 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,480 people counted. That is up 3% from 115,186 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Lawson surname
An English and Scottish surname originating as a patronymic.
As a Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and north German surname, Americanized from Larsen, Larsson.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Lawson» (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 15 births for the Lawson name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin, Armagh, and Down.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 173 people named Lawson.
Most of them — 122 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 20 départements, most often Paris.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 133 people named Lawson live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Brussels-Capital.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 101 people named Lawson live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
96 people named Lawson live in Switzerland.
They live in 10 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In the Nordic population registers
124 people named Lawson are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Lawson in American newspapers,
1906–1917.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 362,701 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Lawson,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Elsie Lawson d. 1967 · actor -
Robert Lawson d. 1816 · military personnel -
Judith Lawson d. 1991 · aristocrat
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Peter Lawson d. 1820 · botanist
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Deodat Lawson d. 1698 · Christian minister
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James Lawson d. 1818 · engineer
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Lawson.
- Lavis 408 · U.S. census
- Lavoie 9,408 · U.S. census
- Lavole 253 · U.S. census
- Lavy 783 · U.S. census
- Lawniczak 472 · U.S. census
- Lawrence 129,699 · U.S. census
- Lay 18,468 · U.S. census
- Laya 368 · U.S. census
- Laye 635 · U.S. census
- Layer 1,323 · U.S. census
- Layes 112 · U.S. census
- Laz 219 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Lawson is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.