NameCensus.

UK surname

Lawson

The son of Lawrence, an English patronymic surname derived from the given name Lawrence, meaning "from Laurentum" (a city in Italy).

In the 1881 census there were 17,599 people recorded with the Lawson surname, ranking it #217 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 24,589, ranked #236, down from #217 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Craven, Lancaster and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Lawson is 24,994 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 39.7%.

1881 census count

17,599

Ranked #217

Modern count

24,589

2016, ranked #236

Peak year

2010

24,994 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Lawson had 17,599 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #217 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 24,589 in 2016, ranked #236.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 21,498 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Lawson surname distribution map

The map shows where the Lawson surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Lawson surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Lawson over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 11,478 #212
1861 historical 12,402 #197
1881 historical 17,599 #217
1891 historical 18,725 #210
1901 historical 21,498 #220
1911 historical 16,771 #284
1997 modern 23,469 #241
1998 modern 24,431 #240
1999 modern 24,623 #238
2000 modern 24,488 #239
2001 modern 23,820 #239
2002 modern 24,391 #239
2003 modern 23,798 #238
2004 modern 23,773 #238
2005 modern 23,398 #236
2006 modern 23,520 #233
2007 modern 23,712 #234
2008 modern 23,901 #233
2009 modern 24,485 #234
2010 modern 24,994 #235
2011 modern 24,556 #236
2012 modern 24,176 #236
2013 modern 24,689 #235
2014 modern 24,912 #235
2015 modern 24,707 #235
2016 modern 24,589 #236

Geography

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Where Lawsons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, London parishes, Gateshead, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Craven, Lancaster, Northumberland, Sunderland and Allerdale. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Govan Combination Lanark
5 Edinburgh Edinburgh

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Craven 001 Craven
2 Lancaster 019 Lancaster
3 Northumberland 020 Northumberland
4 Sunderland 005 Sunderland
5 Allerdale 006 Allerdale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Lawson

These lists show first names that appear often with the Lawson surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Lawson

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Lawson, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Lawson surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Lawson household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Lawson is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Lawson is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Lawson falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Lawson is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Lawson, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Lawson

The surname Lawson originated in England, emerging in the late 12th century. It is a patronymic name derived from the personal name "Law", a diminutive form of the Old English name "Lava", meaning "dweller by the hill". The suffix "-son" was commonly added to indicate "son of".

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the earliest recorded version of the name appears as "Lauwine", referring to a landholder in Northamptonshire. By the 13th century, variations such as "Laueson" and "Lawesone" were found in records across northern England.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Robert Lawson, a landowner in Yorkshire mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1194. Another early bearer was William Lawson, a merchant from Newcastle upon Tyne, who was granted a coat of arms in 1340.

The Lawson family held significant influence in Northumberland, where they owned estates such as Cramlington and Longhirst. Sir Ralph Lawson (c.1470-1522) served as a military commander under Henry VIII and played a crucial role in the Battle of Flodden in 1513.

Another notable figure was James Lawson (1538-1584), a Church of England clergyman who served as Dean of Peterborough and was involved in the translation of the Geneva Bible. In the 17th century, Sir Wilfrid Lawson (1619-1688) was a prominent Royalist during the English Civil War.

The surname also had connections to Scotland, where the Lawsons held lands in East Lothian and Fife. Thomas Lawson (1630-1691) was a Scottish mathematician and academic who made contributions to the development of logarithms.

Other historical figures include John Lawson (1615-1659), a Scottish-born merchant and explorer who led expeditions in the Carolinas, and Cecil Gordon Lawson (1851-1882), an English painter known for his landscapes and portraits.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Lawson families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Lawson surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 2,560 Lawsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.50x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 2,560 1.50x
Lancashire 2,211 1.08x
Durham 1,725 3.37x
Lanarkshire 1,185 2.13x
Middlesex 885 0.51x
Midlothian 857 3.71x
Northumberland 687 2.68x
Angus 631 3.95x
Fife 617 6.05x
Cumberland 527 3.55x
Aberdeenshire 488 3.06x
Lincolnshire 485 1.76x
Surrey 370 0.44x
Ayrshire 332 2.58x
Kent 284 0.48x
Perthshire 265 3.43x
Cheshire 264 0.69x
Nottinghamshire 239 1.03x
Bedfordshire 181 2.03x
Staffordshire 167 0.29x
Renfrewshire 165 1.24x
Norfolk 152 0.57x
Stirlingshire 144 2.27x
Warwickshire 140 0.32x
Northamptonshire 127 0.78x
Hampshire 123 0.35x
Derbyshire 102 0.38x
Essex 97 0.29x
Isle of Man 96 3.00x
Sussex 95 0.33x
Gloucestershire 87 0.26x
Dumfriesshire 81 2.13x
Morayshire 80 2.99x
Roxburghshire 70 2.24x
Worcestershire 62 0.28x
Cambridgeshire 61 0.56x
West Lothian 59 2.27x
Shropshire 52 0.35x
Peeblesshire 48 5.93x
Leicestershire 46 0.24x
Kincardineshire 44 2.10x
Westmorland 44 1.16x
Clackmannanshire 40 2.81x
Argyllshire 39 0.81x
Devon 38 0.11x
Somerset 38 0.14x
Buckinghamshire 37 0.36x
East Lothian 36 1.58x
Glamorgan 31 0.10x
Banffshire 30 0.84x
Berkshire 29 0.22x
Kirkcudbrightshire 29 1.16x
Wiltshire 28 0.18x
Hertfordshire 27 0.23x
Dunbartonshire 26 0.56x
Oxfordshire 26 0.24x
Suffolk 26 0.12x
Inverness-shire 24 0.47x
Huntingdonshire 20 0.58x
Wigtownshire 20 0.87x
Dorset 17 0.15x
Caernarfonshire 15 0.22x
Selkirkshire 15 0.96x
Channel Islands 14 0.27x
Ross-shire 14 0.30x
Berwickshire 13 0.62x
Flintshire 12 0.26x
Royal Navy 10 0.49x
Herefordshire 9 0.13x
Monmouthshire 9 0.07x
Buteshire 8 0.77x
Kinross-shire 8 1.84x
Caithness 6 0.25x
Cornwall 6 0.03x
Sutherland 6 0.45x
Nairnshire 5 0.95x
Denbighshire 4 0.06x
Rutland 2 0.16x
Merionethshire 1 0.03x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Edinburgh St Cuthberts in Midlothian leads with 389 Lawsons recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.19x.

Place Total Index
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 389 4.19x
Barony 347 2.46x
Govan 254 1.84x
Dundee 179 3.01x
Westoe 174 5.99x
Glasgow 167 1.69x
Leeds 165 1.71x
Gateshead 162 4.22x
Liverpool 146 1.18x
Toxteth Park 144 2.08x
Liff Benvie 134 5.53x
Everton 103 1.58x
Lambeth 101 0.67x
South Leith 100 3.85x
St Pancras London 99 0.71x
Dunfermline 90 5.74x
Aberdeen Old Machar 85 2.55x
Bishopwearmouth 82 1.86x
Whickham 82 17.39x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 81 2.71x
Westgate 78 4.92x
Pudsey 74 8.11x
Kirkcaldy 73 14.44x
Hamilton 72 4.63x
Preston 70 1.28x
Sheffield 70 1.29x
Birmingham 68 0.47x
Elswick 68 3.33x
Kirkdale 66 1.92x
Manchester 63 0.69x
Loudoun 62 20.00x
West Derby 62 1.04x
Islington London 60 0.36x
Holy Trinity 59 1.44x
Great Yarmouth 58 2.64x
Horsforth 58 15.50x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 57 2.57x
Otley 57 13.76x
Hetton Le Hole 56 8.62x
Burnley 54 3.14x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 54 3.53x
Shoreditch London 54 0.72x
Camberwell 53 0.48x
Horton In Bradford 53 1.99x
Oldham 53 0.80x
Stockton On Tees 51 2.07x
North Meols 48 2.40x
Habergham Eaves 47 2.52x
Headingley Cum Burley 47 4.28x
Montrose 47 4.86x
North Leith 47 4.40x
Sandy 47 29.89x
West Ham 47 0.63x
Hulme 46 1.08x
Caldewgate 45 5.54x
Ecclesall Bierlow 45 1.30x
Keighley 44 2.42x
Middlesbrough 43 1.93x
St George In East London 43 2.65x
Hackney London 41 0.42x
Monkwearmouth Shore 40 4.00x
Bow London 39 1.78x
Hunslet 39 1.47x
Aston 38 0.32x
Bramley In Bramley 38 5.82x
Paddington London 38 0.60x
Wigan 38 1.33x
Dysart 37 5.39x
Falkland 37 23.07x
Kirriemuir 37 9.40x
Monkwearmouth 37 7.54x
Newburgh 37 28.57x
Penrith 37 6.75x
Bethnal Green London 36 0.48x
Clitheroe 36 5.99x
Cupar 36 8.12x
Great Grimsby 36 2.06x
Stranton 36 2.09x
Wolverhampton 36 0.81x
Accrington 35 1.88x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Lawson surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 955
Elizabeth 549
Sarah 420
Jane 378
Ann 266
Margaret 233
Annie 197
Alice 155
Ellen 154
Hannah 148
Emma 128
Isabella 122
Martha 115
Eliza 111
Emily 93
Catherine 77
Agnes 70
Harriet 67
Frances 65
Edith 61
Charlotte 60
Maria 57
Louisa 56
Florence 53
Ada 51
Fanny 51
Caroline 43
Clara 41
Kate 37
Anne 36
Elizth. 32
Esther 30
Rebecca 29
Lucy 28
Susannah 28
Grace 27
Amy 26
Dorothy 26
Susan 26
Eleanor 25
Amelia 24
Gertrude 24
Jessie 23
Matilda 23
Minnie 22
Harriett 21
Betsy 20
Ethel 20
Rose 18
Lizzie 17

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Lawson surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 861
William 790
Thomas 460
James 410
George 406
Robert 320
Joseph 251
Henry 185
Charles 162
Edward 141
Richard 117
Arthur 100
Alfred 84
Frederick 80
Samuel 63
Wm. 52
Albert 50
David 45
Harry 45
Walter 45
Peter 44
Herbert 41
Andrew 34
Francis 33
Benjamin 29
Frank 29
Wilfred 29
Ernest 28
Alexander 27
Fred 27
Edwin 25
Daniel 22
Isaac 22
Robt. 22
Thos. 22
Jno. 21
Tom 20
Matthew 19
Ralph 19
Christopher 18
Mark 18
Geo. 16
Hugh 15
Jonathan 13
Michael 12
Chas. 11
Jacob 10
Percy 10
Edwd. 9
Fredrick 9

FAQ

Lawson surname: questions and answers

How common was the Lawson surname in 1881?

In 1881, 17,599 people were recorded with the Lawson surname. That placed it at #217 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Lawson surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 24,589 in 2016. That gives Lawson a modern rank of #236.

What does the Lawson surname mean?

The son of Lawrence, an English patronymic surname derived from the given name Lawrence, meaning "from Laurentum" (a city in Italy).

What does the Lawson map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Lawson bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.