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Lawlor History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Lawlor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Lawlor

What does the name Lawlor mean?

The family name Lawlor has an intrinsic connection to the Gaelic culture of Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name Lawlor is Ó Leathlobhair, which is derived from the words leath, which means half, and lobhar, which means sick person or leper.

Early Origins of the Lawlor family

The surname Lawlor was first found in County Leix (Irish: Laois) formerly known as Queen's County, located in central Ireland, in Leinster Province, where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Lawlor family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lawlor research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1854 is included under the topic Early Lawlor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lawlor Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, was what guided scribes and church officials in recording names, a practice that often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Lawlor are preserved in documents that were examined for evidence of the family's history. The various spellings of Lawlor included Lawlor, Lalor, O'Lalor, O'Lawlor and others.

Early Notables of the Lawlor family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

John Lawlor was a noted sculptor whose statues were placed in London, Cork and Limerick

Lawlor Ranking

In the United States, the name Lawlor is the 6,480^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Lawlor is ranked the 324^th most popular surname with an estimated 143 people with that name. 2

Lawlor migration to the United States +

North America received thousands of Irish immigrants from the English-ruled Ireland during the 19th century. Once in the United States or what would become Canada, these immigrants quickly contributed to the ongoing settling and industrialization processes. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. An exhaustive examination of immigrant and passenger lists has shown many early immigrants bearing the surname of Lawlor:

Lawlor Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lawrence Lawlor, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1835 3
William Lawlor, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 3
Anne Lawlor, aged 11, who landed in New York in 1854 3
Denis Lawlor, aged 13, who landed in New York in 1854 3

Lawlor migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lawlor Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Lawlor, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1814
Thomas Lawlor, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1822
Mary Ann Lawlor, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1835
Catherine Riley Lawlor, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1841
Michael Lawlor, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1842
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lawlor migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Lawlor Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Lawlor, (Lawler), (b. 1807), aged 21, Irish ploughman who was convicted in County Laois (Queens County), Ireland for 7 years for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Borodino" on 11th February 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1877 4
Miss. Lessy Lawlor, (Hessy, Lowler, Essie, Daniel, Hester, Lalor), (b. 1829), aged 20, Irish house servant who was convicted in Kildare, Ireland for life for arson, transported aboard the "Australasia" on 26th June 1849, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1906 5

Lawlor migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Lawlor Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Henry Charles Lawlor a lawyer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Brilliant" in 1841
Ann Caroline Lawlor, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Brilliant" in 1841
Annie Caroline Lawlor, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Brilliant" in 1841
Miss Mary Lawlor, (b. 1842), aged 23, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Greyhound" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th May 1865 6
Miss Ellen Lawlor, (b. 1842), aged 25, British domestic servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" sailing to Auckland and Lyttelton, New Zealand on 29th July 1867 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Lawlor (post 1700) +

Michael P. Lawlor (b. 1956), American politician, criminal justice professor, and lawyer, Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives (1987-2011)
John Lawlor (b. 1941), American actor, best known for his role as Supervisor Leonard Marsh on the television series Phyllis from 1976-1977
Charles B. Lawlor (1852-1925), Irish-born, American vaudeville performer and composer of popular songs, perhaps best known for his 1894 song, The Sidewalks of New York
Michael H. Lawlor (1854-1918), American Major League Baseball catcher
Edward G. Lawlor (1907-1987), American minister and general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene
Gerri Lawlor, American actress and voice actor
Thomas Joseph "Tom" Lawlor (b. 1983), American mixed martial artist
Frank L. Lawlor, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the American Volunteer Group, during World War II, credited with 8½ aerial victories
Thomas Lawlor (b. 1938), Irish opera singer, best known for his performances in baritone roles of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas
Sean Lawlor (1954-2009), Irish character actor and playwright, best known for his portrayal of Malcolm Wallace in Braveheart
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Lawlor family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Brady Almon Lawlor (1894-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 7

SS Newfoundland

Mr. William Lawlor (1894-1914), Newfoundlander from Horse Cove, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he died during this time

Sources +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Borodino
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/australasia
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance