Given name & surname
Lawson
“the son of Lawrence”
Lawson is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “the son of Lawrence.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “the son of Lawrence.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
In English usage, Lawson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Lawrence.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Lawson through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 19,138
- 18,533 boys · 605 girls
- Most popular year
- 2021
- 929 babies
- 2025
- 884
- #381 for boys · #3,053 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +2%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 830 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 381 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 1.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 54 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (83). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 11,171 as a first name in 2020; 114,522 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Lawson’s family of names
In English usage, Lawson as a surname has a “son of” formation linked to Lawrence.
The ring: across languages.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Lawson
- Lawson CraddockAmerican road cyclistborn 1992
- Lawson CrouseCanadian ice hockey playerborn 1997
- Lawson RobertsonAmerican athlete and coach (1883–1951)
- Lawson ButtBritish actor and film director (1883–1956)1880–1956
- Lawson TaitBritish gynaecologist and antivivisectionist (1845–1899)
- Lawson DuncanUS tennis playerborn 1964
- Lawson D'AthEnglish footballer (born 1992)
- Lawson HarrisAmerican director, actor, producer, and writer (1897-1948)
- Lawson P. RamageUnited States Navy Medal of Honor recipient; submariner; U.S. Navy admiral (1909–1990)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Lawson, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Landon
“from the long hill”
99% boys · 1% girls
Lane
“one who takes the narrow path”
93% boys · 7% girls
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“from the king's town”
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“of the joy stone; from the friendly town”
99% boys · 1% girls
Paxton
“from the peaceful town”
95% boys · 5% girls
Benson
“the son of Ben”
>99% boys
Legend
“one who is memorable”
97% boys · 3% girls
Jameson
“the son of James”
99% boys · 1% girls