The Lawton surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 13,713 people carried this name — #2,630 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 21,500 people counted. That is up 3% from 13,272 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Lawton surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Lawton’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 472 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 10 births for the Lawton name in 1890.

Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “7 in Cork.”

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

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 7
Ulster 2
Leinster 1

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 30 people named Lawton.

15 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 départements, most often Gironde.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 15
Gironde 13
Vosges 1
Hauts-de-Seine 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

22 people named Lawton is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 22

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).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Lawton was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Cheshire: 22 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 455. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cheshire 22
Staffordshire 16

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Lawton was recorded 10 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1929th 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 the first U.S. census, 1790

89 families named Lawton, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 507 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Rhode Island 45
Massachusetts 18
Vermont 11
North Carolina 5
South Carolina 4
New York 2
Virginia 2
Pennsylvania 1
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 249 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Lawton in American newspapers,
1899–1901.

Newspaper page from The Weekly Iberian carrying the name Lawton
The Weekly Iberian 1901-03-16
Newspaper page from New Iberia Enterprise carrying the name Lawton
New Iberia Enterprise 1899-07-08
Newspaper page from New Iberia Enterprise carrying the name Lawton
New Iberia Enterprise 1899-08-12

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 5,462 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Lawton in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

29,742 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Lawton. The most, 4,579, date from the 1930s. 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 South Australia, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 9,130
Queensland 7,275
South Australia 5,277
Victoria 4,880
Western Australia 1,800
Tasmania 1,169
ACT (Canberra) 122
Northern Territory 22

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

Who carried it

People named Lawton,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Frank Lawton
    Frank Lawton d. 1914 · actor
  • Joseph Lawton d. 1874 · photographer
  • Joseph Lawton d. 1872 · photographer
  • John Roland Sylvester Lawton d. 1970 · botanist
  • Frederick Lawton d. 1909
  • Rebecca Lawton d. 1797

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 Lawton,
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 States1,830 records

1,830 records of the Lawton name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 495
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 377
  • Other U.S. records 958
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Sherwood E. Lawton

    Born 1926 in Connecticut. Enlisted 1945 at Scott Field, Illinois; doorman. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Connecticut State Veterans Cemetery, Middletown, Connecticut.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Billy James Lawton

    Born 1948; from Allendale, South Carolina. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Honora Lawton

    Arrived at New York in 1875 aboard the Queen from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 21; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,830 records for Lawton in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · 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. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · 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); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia835 records

835 records of the Lawton name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 441
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 129
  • Other Australian records 265
  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 Abigail Lawton

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Mary Anne, sailing from Dublin in 1840. Native of Cork. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1842. Married 1842 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 25.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record George Alfred Clela Lawton

    Married 1896 in Hamilton, Tasmania, aged 37. Died 1899 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 40. Will registered in Tasmania in 1899.

    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 William Lawton

    Arrived in Queensland in 1886 aboard the Jumna, aged 23.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 835 records for Lawton 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) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada63 records

63 records of the Lawton name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 16
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 15
  • Other Canadian records 32
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Lawton

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Sardinian, landing at Quebec, bound for Dundas, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Claire Lawton

    Died 1998, aged 83; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Douglas Stephen Lawton

    Died 1973 in Dartmouth, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 25.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 63 records for Lawton in Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom57 records

57 records of the Lawton name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 53
  • Welsh wills index cards 2
  • Other British records 2
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Mary Lawton

    Will proved in 1936; of Llandudno, Carnarvon.

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

    Royal Field Artillery. 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 petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Eleanor Lawton

    Will proved in 1936; of Llandudno, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 57 records for Lawton in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: 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).

Netherlands18 records

18 records of the Lawton name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 13
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 5
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Joseph Michael Lawton

    Married in 1947 in Eindhoven.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Daisy May Lawton

    Died 1969 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Breda (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Henry Lawton

    In the population register of Amsterdam; born 1844 in Londen.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Amsterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 18 records for Lawton in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

France8 records

8 records of the Lawton 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 Yves Edouard Lawton

    Born 1930 in Bordeaux; died 1980 in Bordeaux (Gironde).

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

    Born 1966 in Great Britain; died 1999 in Le Mans (Sarthe).

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

    Born 1909 in Bouliac; died 1997 in Pessac (Gironde).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 8 records for Lawton 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).

New Zealand3 records

3 records of the Lawton name in New Zealand
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 2
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Lawton

    Died 1967, aged 78; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jessie Henderson Lawton

    Died 1983, aged 91; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Lawton in New Zealand.

Counts: Marlborough 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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Lawton.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Lawton 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.

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