Show ContentsMcLawrence History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname McLawrence came from the name Lawrence. This name is in turn derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which literally means man from Laurentium, a town in Italy named for its laurels or bay trees. The popularity of this name in medieval Europe is due to the exploits of a saint who was martyred at Rome in the 3rd century.

Early Origins of the McLawrence family

The surname McLawrence was first found in Lancashire at Yealand-Redmayne, a township, in the parish of Warton, union of Lancaster, hundred of Lonsdale south of the Sands. "Yealand Hall, an ancient dwelling at Yealand-Storrs in the township, seems to have been possessed in the reign of Henry VIII. by the family of Lawrence, who held the manor of "Yeland-Redmayn" as of the manor of Warton." 1

Early History of the McLawrence family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McLawrence research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1252, 1598, 1614, 1618, 1635, 1657, 1664, 1665, 1672, 1674, 1691, 1692 and 1699 are included under the topic Early McLawrence History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McLawrence Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the McLawrence family name include Lawrence, Laurence, Lawerence, Lawrance and many more.

Early Notables of the McLawrence family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Laurence (1598-1657), an English churchman and academic, at the age of 16 he attended Balliol College, Oxford (1614); Sir John Lawrence (died 1692), an English merchant and politician, Lord...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McLawrence Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McLawrence family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the McLawrence surname or a spelling variation of the name include: George and Elizabeth Lawrance, who settled in Virginia in 1641; Anne and John Lawrence settled in Virginia with their seven children in 1676; Ben, Edward, Elizabeth, J.R. John, Joseph, Lewis, Mary, Phillip, Thomas, and William Lawrence, all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860..



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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