Law History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Law

What does the name Law mean?

In the ancient Scottish-English border region, the ancestors of the name Law lived among the Boernicians. They lived near a hill. Law is a local name, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. There are many different categories of local surnames, some of which include: topographic surnames, which could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. Law is a topographic name, and it comes from the Old English word, hlaw, which means hill.

Early Origins of the Law family

The surname Law was first found in Northumberland, where they were lords of the manor and seated from very ancient times.

Early History of the Law family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Law research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1595, 1602, 1645, 1662, 1671, 1686, 1729, 1761 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Law History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Law Spelling Variations

Spelling rules only evolved in the last few centuries with the invention of the printing press and the first dictionaries. Spelling variations are extremely common in names from before that period. Law has been spelled Law, Lawe, Lawes and others.

Early Notables of the Law family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

John Law (1671-1729), a Scottish economist, Controller General of Finances of France under King Louis XV
William Law (1686-1761), an Anglican priest from Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire who is honoured on April 10 with a feast day on the Calendar of saints

Law World Ranking

In the United States, the name Law is the 1,088^th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Law is ranked the 554^th most popular surname with an estimated 8,781 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Law is the 465^th popular surname with an estimated 8,213 people with that name. 3 New Zealand ranks Law as 318^th with 1,924 people. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Law as 335^th with 18,375 people. 5

Migration of the Law family to Ireland

Some of the Law family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Law migration to the United States +

After making their great crossing, many Boernician-Scottish families settled along the east coast of North America. When the War of Independence broke out, United Empire Loyalists moved north to Canada while the rest stayed to fight. The ancestors of many of these Scots still populate the continent. This century, through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations, they began to rediscover their collective national heritage. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Law or a variant listed above:

Law Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mary Law who settled in Virginia in 1643
Andrew Law, who arrived in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1654 6
John Law, who arrived in New England in 1661 6
Abra Law, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 6
Alexander Law, who landed in Maryland in 1663 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Law Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Law, who settled in Annapolis Maryland in 1719
Anna Law, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1756 6
George Law, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1763
Mungo Law, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1764 6
Andrew Law, who settled in Maryland in 1774
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Law Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Law, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 6
William Law, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 6
Robert Law, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 6
Margaret Law, who arrived in New York, NY in 1817 6
Mary Law, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Law Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ms. Bessie Law, (b. 1874), aged 30, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Philadelphia" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 6th August 1904 en route to Butte, Montana, USA 7

Law migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Law Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thomas Law, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Michael Law, who landed in Anapolis (Annapolis), Nova Scotia in 1760
Captain Law, who arrived in Quebec in 1784
Mr. John Law U.E., "Campbell" who settled in Sophiasburgh and Ameliasburgh [Prince Edward County], Ontario c. 1784 8
James Law was married at St. John's, Newfoundland in 1786 9

Law Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Henry Law was a fisherman of Burying Place, Newfoundland in 1871 9

Law migration to Australia +

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

Law Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Law, Scottish convict who was convicted in Aberdeen, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Thomas Law, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for life, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. John Law, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
Mr. William Law, (b. 1811), aged 17, Scottish blacksmith who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 25th June 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1893 13
Mr. Joseph Law who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 3rd October 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Law 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:

Law Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Law, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Phoebe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 18th April 1843 15
Robert Law, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1844
Miss Mary Jane Law, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gipsey" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th October 1854 16
Mr. John Law, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Dinapore" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th August 1857 16
Mrs. Anny C. Law, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Dinapore" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th August 1857 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Law (post 1700) +

David Jude Heyworth Law (b. 1972), better known as Jude Law, an English Tony award and Laurence Olivier Award nominated actor, film producer and director, perhaps best known for his role as Dr. John Watson in the Sherlock Holmes films
Bernard Francis Law (1931-2017), American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop emeritus of Boston
Katrina Law (b. 1985), American actress, known for her roles in Snow Bride (2013), Spartacus: War of the Damned (2010) and 44 Minutes: The North Hollywood Shoot-Out (2003)
Evander McIver Law (1836-1920), American author, teacher, and Confederate general in the American Civil War
Acie Law IV (b. 1985), American professional basketball player
John Phillip Law (1937-2008), American film actor, known for his role in the science fiction cult classic Barbarella (1968)
Specialist Four Robert David Law (1944-1969), United States Army soldier and recipient of the Medal of Honor
Arthur J. Law (1906-1987), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Pontiac, Michigan, 1953-54; Member of Michigan State House of Representatives, 1959-72 17
Anna Law, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1952 17
Allen Law, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Kentucky auditor of public accounts, 1955 17
... (Another 57 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Law family +

Empress of Ireland

Master Jack Law (1906-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Calgary, Alberta, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 18
Mr. Ernest Law (1877-1914), Canadian Second Class Passenger from Calgary, Alberta, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 18
Mrs. Margaret Law (1876-1914), née Haythornthwaite Canadian Second Class Passenger from Calgary, Alberta, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 18

HMS Cornwall

Edward Verdun Law (d. 1942), British Electrical Artificer 4th Class aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 19

Winter Quarters coal mine

Mr. Clyde Edwin Law (b. 1876), American mine worker from Newton, Jasper, Iowa who worked in the Winter Quarters coal mine on 1st May 1900, when 10 of the 25lb kegs of black powder exploded; he died in the explosion 20

The Law Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Compositum jus fasque animi
Motto Translation: A mind which respects alike the laws of mutual justice and of God.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A
Miners killed in Winter Quarters (retrieved 28th July 2021). Retrieved from http://www.carbon-utgenweb.com/miners.html