Show ContentsLawley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The family name Lawley has an intrinsic connection to the Gaelic culture of Ireland. The original Gaelic form of the name Lawley 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 Lawley family

The surname Lawley 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 Lawley family

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

Lawley Spelling Variations

In the days before Gaelic or English gained any significant semblance of standardization, the scribes who created documents simply recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in the Middle Ages many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research into the Lawley family history revealed numerous spelling variations of the name, including Lawlor, Lalor, O'Lalor, O'Lawlor and others.

Early Notables of the Lawley family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was Patrick Lalor, M.P. for Leix, and his sons, James Fintan, writer and revolutionary, Peter, who led the miners revolt at Eureka, Australia in 1854 and later became speaker of...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Lawley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lawley Ranking

In the United States, the name Lawley is the 12,387th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Lawley migration to the United States +

In the 18th and 19th centuries, hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants landed on North American shores. Although many of them were merely looking for a free plot of land and living of their very own, many later immigrants were desperately fleeing an overcrowded land that did not have sufficient food for its inhabitants. The exodus from Ireland was greatest during the 1840s when the Great Potato Famine had stricken the island. Although this large influx of Irish was unpopular with the great majority of people already established within the major centers, these Irish were critical to the speedy development of the United States and those colonies that would eventually become known as Canada. These immigrants provided the cheap labor required to build modern roads, bridges, canals, and railways. Research of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of immigrants to North America baring the name of Lawley:

Lawley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Lawley, who landed in Virginia in 1636 [2]
Lawley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Henry Lawley, who landed in Virginia in 1718 [2]
  • Margaret Lawley, who arrived in Virginia in 1721 [2]
  • Ruth Lawley, who arrived in Virginia in 1721 [2]
  • Richard Lawley, who landed in Georgia in 1741 [2]
Lawley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Daniel Lawley, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1855 [2]
  • John Lawley, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 [2]

Australia Lawley migration to Australia +

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

Lawley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • James Lawley, English convict from Norfolk, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [3]
  • Mr. Thomas Lawley, (b. 1811), aged 23, English convict who was convicted in Worcester, Worcestershire, England for 14 years for house breaking, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [4]
  • Mr. James Lawley, English convict who was convicted in Birmingham, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [5]
  • Patrick Lawley, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Agincourt" on July 6, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [6]
  • Mr. Thomas Lawley, (b. 1819), aged 25, English farm labourer from Ashley, Worcestershire, England who was convicted in Limerick, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 9th April 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [7]

Contemporary Notables of the name Lawley (post 1700) +

  • First Lieutenant William R Lawley Jr., American officer awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944
  • William R. Lawley Jr. (1920-1999), United States Army Air Forces officer
  • Sir Robert Lawley (1736-1793), 5th Baronet English landowner and politician
  • Robert Lawley (1768-1834), 1st Baron Wenlock, British landowner and politician
  • Sir Francis Lawley (1630-1696), 2nd Baronet, politician and courtier
  • Francis Charles Lawley (1825-1901), British journalist and politician
  • Beilby Lawley (1849-1912), 3rd Baron Wenlock, English nobleman
  • Beilby Lawley (1818-1880), 2nd Baron Wenlock, English nobleman
  • Arthur Lawley (1860-1932), 6th Baron Wenlock, Governor of Western Australia from 1901–02


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
  6. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 24) Agincourt voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 226 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/agincourt/1844
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/


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