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Lawless Family History

Lawless Surname Meaning

Scottish, Irish, and English: nickname from Middle English laweles laghles ‘lawless uncontrolled by the law’ applied either to someone who was undisciplined or to an outlaw

(i.e. one from whom the protection of the law had been withdrawn).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Lawless family from?

You can see how Lawless families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Lawless family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Lawless families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 524 Lawless families living in Lancashire. This was about 50% of all the recorded Lawless's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Lawless families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Lawless surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Lawless ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Lawless. 19% of Lawless men worked as a General Labourer and 72% of Lawless women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Lawless were Incapacitated and Domestic Servant.

View Census Data for Lawless | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    19%
  • Builders Labourer
    12%
  • Cotton Weaver
    8%
  • Incapacitated
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    72%
  • Cotton Weaver
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%
  • Domestic Servant
    2%

What Lawless family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 70,000 census records available for the last name Lawless. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Lawless census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Lawless

Passenger Lists

There are 12,000 immigration records available for the last name Lawless. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Lawless immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Lawless. For the veterans among your Lawless ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Lawless military records

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