Contents [hide]

Lawless History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Lawless History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The surname Lawless is derived from the Old English word "laweles," which means "lawless" and is ultimately derived from the Old English word "laghles," which means "outlaw." 1 As a surname, it may have come from a nickname for a person who was an outlaw, or was uncontrolled or unrestrained.

The name could have also been derived from the Old English words lufu ‘love’ and -leas ‘free from, without’, ‘loveless’. 1 Lawless is an extension of Lovelace. 2

Early Origins of the Lawless family

The surname Lawless was first found in Somerset where Edith Luvelece was found in the Assize Rolls for 1243. A few years later in Kent, William Luuelaz was registered c. 1250. John Loveles was a Freeman of Leicestershire in 1251 and Albricus Loveles was found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275 in Suffolk. Richard Lovelas was registered in Kent in 1344 as was John Lovelace in 1367. Thomas Lagheles, was listed in the Register of the Freemen of the City of York in 1360. 1

The Hundredorum Rolls also include Albricus Loveles, Suffolk and Sarra Loveles, Huntingdonshire. 3 Robert Lovelisse from Berkshire was listed in the Register of the University of Oxford for 1587.

Early History of the Lawless family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lawless research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1367, 1533, 1548, 1551, 1561, 1562, 1568, 1572, 1574, 1577, 1599, 1616, 1618, 1627, 1634, 1638, 1650, 1658, 1660, 1664, 1665, 1670, 1675, 1693, 1734, 1735, 1754, 1773, 1789, 1799, 1837, 1853, 1861 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Lawless History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lawless Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Lawless include Lawless, Lawlesse, Lawles, Lovelace, Loveless and others.

Early Notables of the Lawless family

Distinguished members of the family include

Nicholas Lawless (1735-1799), created 1st Baron Cloncurry in the Peerage of Ireland, in 1789. John Lawless (1773-1837), Irish agitator, commonly known as 'Honest Jack Lawless,' born in 1773, was the e...
Matthew James Lawless (1837-1861), Irish artist, a son of Barry Lawless, solicitor, of Dublin, was born near that city in 1837. He was sent to school at Prior Pack College, near Bath; but his educatio...
Valentine Browne Lawless, Lord Cloncurry (1773-1853), only surviving son of Nicholas, first lord Cloncurry, and Margaret, only child and heiress of Valentine Browne of Mount Browne, co. Limerick, a we...

Lawless Ranking

In the United States, the name Lawless is the 3,825^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Lawless family to Ireland

Some of the Lawless family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 103 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lawless migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Lawless or a variant listed above:

Lawless Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nich Lawless, who landed in Virginia in 1698 5

Lawless Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Patrick Lawless, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 5
Cornelius Lawless, who arrived in Virginia in 1715 5
James Lawless who settled in Virginia in 1739

Lawless Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mathew Lawless, aged 30, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 5
Peter Lawless, who landed in New York in 1839 5
Rose Lawless, aged 41, who landed in New York, NY in 1849 5
M Lawless, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
Richard Lawless, aged 30, who arrived in New York in 1854 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lawless migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lawless Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Francis Lawless, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
James Lawless, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Maras Lawless, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mary Lawless, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. John Lawless U.E. (b. 1730) born in Ireland from Massachuettes, USA who settled in Digdeguash, Passamaquoddy Bay, St Patrick's Parish, Charlotte County, NB c. 1784 married to Catherine he died in 1814 6

Lawless Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Ms. Ann Lawless, aged 18 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Pursuit" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in August 1847 7
Mrs. Bridget Lawless, aged 45 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Superior" departing from the port of Londonderry, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 7
Mrs. Rebecca Lawless, aged 30 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Coromandel" departing from the port of Dublin, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in July 1847 7

Lawless migration to Australia +

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

Lawless Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Francis Lawless, (b. 1786), aged 23, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for life for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Boyd" on 10th March 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1874 8
George Lawless, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1851 9
Edward Lawless, aged 41, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Emerald Isle" 10
Mary Lawless, aged 21, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Lord Raglan" 11
Patrick Lawless, aged 24, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Frenchman"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Lawless 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:

Lawless Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Stephen Lawless, (b. 1850), aged 29, Irish farm labourer, from Galway travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Invercargill, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 28th August 1879 12
Mr. James Lawless, (b. 1852), aged 27, Irish farm labourer, from Galway travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Invercargill, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 28th August 1879 12
Mr. Thomas Lawless, (b. 1854), aged 25, Irish farm labourer, from Galway travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Invercargill, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 28th August 1879 12
Miss Kate Lawless, (b. 1826), aged 53, Irish settler, from Galway travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Invercargill, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 28th August 1879 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Lawless (post 1700) +

John A. Lawless, American politician, Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1991-2002)
Richard Burton Lawless (b. 1953), former American college and professional NFL football player
Blackie Lawless (b. 1956), born Steven Edward Duren, an American songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the heavy metal band W.A.S.P
Thomas James "Tom" Lawless (b. 1956), American Major League Baseball player who played from 1982 to 1990
Theodore K Lawless (1892-1971), American dermatologist, medical researcher, and philanthropist
John "Jack" Lawless (b. 1987), American musician
Terry Lawless (1933-2009), English boxing manager and trainer
Valentine Brown Lawless (1773-1853), 2nd Baron Cloncurry, an Irish politician and landowner
Cecil John Lawless (1821-1853), Irish politician
Frank J. Lawless (1870-1922), Irish politician
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
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
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 39)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Boyd
State Library of South Australia. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) ASIA 1851 from London 12 05 1851 and southampton with Captain Roskell, arrived Port Adelaide on 1-09-1851. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Asia.htm
South Australian Register Tuesday 17th January 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Emerald Isle 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/emeraldisle1854.shtml
South Australian Register Wednesday 25th October 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Lord Raglan 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/lordraglan1854.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html