Explore the Family Name Lawler

The meaning of Lawler

Irish (Ulster, Leinster, and Kerry): shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Leathlobhair ‘descendant of Leathlobhar’, a personal name composed of the elements leath ‘half’ (i.e. ‘somewhat, fairly’) and lobar ‘leprous, sick’. The name seems to have been originally a byname for a man of unhealthy constitution.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Lawler in the United States?

According to the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Lawler has seen a slight decrease in rank from 2000 to 2010, moving from 2336th place to 2516th place, a change of -7.71%. However, despite its lower ranking, the actual count of people with the surname Lawler increased by 1.36% during this period, going from 14194 to 14387. The proportion of individuals with the Lawler surname per 100k people also dropped slightly by -7.22%.

20002010Change
Rank#2,336#2,516-7.71%
Count14,19414,3871.36%
Proportion per 100k5.264.88-7.22%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lawler

In terms of ethnicity distribution, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of individuals with the Lawler surname identified as White, although this percentage decreased marginally from 91.27% in 2000 to 89.96% in 2010. The ethnicity seeing the most significant growth was the Hispanic community, which saw a substantial increase of 54.00%, rising from 1.50% to 2.31%. Other ethnic identities such as Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native saw modest increases. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or of two or more races remained relatively stable, with the former decreasing slightly and the latter increasing.

20002010Change
White91.27%89.96%-1.44%
Black5.11%5.28%3.33%
Hispanic1.5%2.31%54%
Two or More Races1.25%1.61%28.8%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.58%0.56%-3.45%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.28%0.29%3.57%

Lawler ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Lawler is British & Irish, which comprises 57.6% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (19.2%) and Eastern European (5.3%). Additional ancestries include Italian, Scandinavian, Spanish & Portuguese, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish57.6%
French & German19.2%
Eastern European5.3%
Other17.9%
Lawler

Possible origins of the surname Lawler

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Lawler have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Merseyside, United Kingdom89.40%
Greater London, United Kingdom89.40%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom89.40%
West Midlands, United Kingdom88.90%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom88.90%

What Lawler haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Lawler is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-DF5 and R-L21, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Lawlor, Dowling, Walsh, Lyons, Griffiths, Mcmahon, Murphy, Cavanaugh, Hughes, Mccarthy.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Lawler surname are: H1, H3, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

lawlerPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Lawler have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Lawler

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Lawler" Surname 47.0%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Lawler

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Lawler" Surname 31.8%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Lawler

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Lawler" Surname 17.3%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Lawler

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Lawler" Surname 17.7%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Lawler?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Lawler are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%