Law Surname
Approximately 246,411 people bear this surname
Law Surname Definition:
This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the low,' i.e. hill; v. Low. The seeming plural form Lawes represents the common tendency to tack on an 's' in monosyllabic local surnames; compare Styles, Oakes, Brooks, Sykes, Dykes, &c.
Read More About This SurnameLaw Surname Distribution Map
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong | 90,996 | 1:81 | 18 |
| United States | 40,803 | 1:8,883 | 1,074 |
| Malaysia | 25,334 | 1:1,164 | 168 |
| England | 20,477 | 1:2,721 | 359 |
| Singapore | 14,693 | 1:375 | 63 |
| Canada | 8,781 | 1:4,196 | 554 |
| Australia | 8,213 | 1:3,287 | 465 |
| Scotland | 4,180 | 1:1,281 | 218 |
| Madagascar | 3,104 | 1:7,619 | 1,529 |
| Myanmar | 2,974 | 1:17,464 | 386 |
| Macau | 2,458 | 1:245 | 66 |
| Thailand | 2,057 | 1:34,340 | 3,547 |
| New Zealand | 1,924 | 1:2,354 | 318 |
| Egypt | 1,861 | 1:49,401 | 4,858 |
| India | 1,750 | 1:438,323 | 22,763 |
| Ghana | 1,593 | 1:16,962 | 2,149 |
| China | 1,575 | 1:868,141 | 280 |
| Ethiopia | 1,449 | 1:67,320 | 6,648 |
| Bangladesh | 1,081 | 1:147,416 | 5,565 |
| France | 1,036 | 1:64,115 | 8,796 |
| United Arab Emirates | 938 | 1:9,768 | 1,228 |
| South Africa | 920 | 1:58,889 | 7,450 |
| Northern Ireland | 855 | 1:2,158 | 447 |
| Wales | 607 | 1:5,098 | 556 |
| Indonesia | 521 | 1:253,837 | 23,101 |
| Sri Lanka | 439 | 1:47,400 | 5,492 |
| Mauritius | 431 | 1:3,001 | 533 |
| Nigeria | 322 | 1:550,133 | 26,837 |
| Morocco | 307 | 1:112,300 | 19,480 |
| Jamaica | 236 | 1:12,161 | 1,241 |
| Ireland | 229 | 1:20,563 | 2,112 |
| Fiji | 220 | 1:4,065 | 748 |
| Saudi Arabia | 199 | 1:155,054 | 22,057 |
| Russia | 181 | 1:796,260 | 65,438 |
| Netherlands | 179 | 1:94,342 | 15,464 |
| Nicaragua | 175 | 1:34,406 | 1,212 |
| Germany | 174 | 1:462,675 | 40,671 |
| Kuwait | 174 | 1:21,843 | 2,878 |
| Philippines | 174 | 1:581,829 | 64,136 |
| Vanuatu | 157 | 1:1,677 | 485 |
| Spain | 156 | 1:299,693 | 18,077 |
| French Polynesia | 135 | 1:2,080 | 412 |
| Japan | 123 | 1:1,039,384 | 20,447 |
| Panama | 120 | 1:32,602 | 1,861 |
| Taiwan | 112 | 1:209,328 | 1,792 |
| Liberia | 99 | 1:44,531 | 4,051 |
| DR Congo | 96 | 1:769,579 | 54,223 |
| Brazil | 93 | 1:2,301,875 | 71,238 |
| Iran | 83 | 1:925,091 | 43,938 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 83 | 1:16,433 | 2,039 |
| Sweden | 73 | 1:134,887 | 9,541 |
| Suriname | 58 | 1:9,528 | 2,431 |
| Portugal | 57 | 1:182,776 | 7,697 |
| Venezuela | 56 | 1:539,359 | 10,010 |
| Mexico | 55 | 1:2,256,840 | 19,878 |
| Dominican Republic | 54 | 1:193,202 | 7,170 |
| Brunei | 53 | 1:7,901 | 1,015 |
| Iraq | 52 | 1:673,493 | 9,953 |
| Belgium | 42 | 1:273,730 | 32,801 |
| Mongolia | 39 | 1:72,443 | 5,369 |
| Vietnam | 39 | 1:2,375,540 | 2,229 |
| Italy | 38 | 1:1,609,387 | 83,030 |
| Finland | 37 | 1:148,560 | 13,684 |
| Guam | 37 | 1:4,328 | 556 |
| Bermuda | 36 | 1:1,813 | 302 |
| Cyprus | 33 | 1:26,814 | 3,049 |
| Switzerland | 33 | 1:248,876 | 20,666 |
| Costa Rica | 29 | 1:164,830 | 2,283 |
| Papua New Guinea | 29 | 1:281,163 | 38,188 |
| Botswana | 28 | 1:78,105 | 13,263 |
| Pakistan | 26 | 1:6,870,919 | 39,117 |
| Senegal | 26 | 1:560,744 | 2,305 |
| Peru | 25 | 1:1,271,365 | 21,041 |
| Qatar | 25 | 1:94,320 | 10,875 |
| Zimbabwe | 23 | 1:671,228 | 49,171 |
| Ecuador | 22 | 1:722,993 | 12,618 |
| Jersey | 22 | 1:4,509 | 908 |
| Romania | 21 | 1:956,089 | 52,327 |
| Estonia | 19 | 1:69,569 | 12,771 |
| Cayman Islands | 18 | 1:3,550 | 469 |
| Norway | 18 | 1:285,683 | 29,080 |
| Czechia | 17 | 1:625,498 | 60,070 |
| Latvia | 17 | 1:120,591 | 17,235 |
| Poland | 17 | 1:2,235,809 | 104,965 |
| Libya | 16 | 1:390,248 | 1,390 |
| Kazakhstan | 15 | 1:1,178,833 | 65,606 |
| Tanzania | 15 | 1:3,529,441 | 50,903 |
| Argentina | 14 | 1:3,053,101 | 127,728 |
| South Korea | 14 | 1:3,660,018 | 674 |
| Grenada | 12 | 1:9,045 | 775 |
| Ukraine | 11 | 1:4,138,427 | 206,719 |
| Guatemala | 10 | 1:1,608,267 | 5,853 |
| Kenya | 10 | 1:4,617,990 | 42,693 |
| Austria | 9 | 1:946,159 | 70,786 |
| Turkey | 9 | 1:8,646,825 | 130,497 |
| Cameroon | 8 | 1:2,596,134 | 118,056 |
| Honduras | 8 | 1:1,102,055 | 4,829 |
| Cambodia | 7 | 1:2,212,449 | 7,503 |
| Denmark | 7 | 1:806,388 | 43,211 |
| Greece | 7 | 1:1,582,827 | 88,377 |
| Guyana | 7 | 1:108,889 | 7,175 |
| Mauritania | 7 | 1:584,980 | 20,004 |
| Benin | 6 | 1:1,722,600 | 61,769 |
| Bulgaria | 6 | 1:1,163,151 | 37,744 |
| Isle of Man | 6 | 1:14,304 | 3,169 |
| Puerto Rico | 6 | 1:591,690 | 3,707 |
| Cook Islands | 5 | 1:3,636 | 866 |
| Cuba | 5 | 1:2,304,543 | 8,951 |
| Hungary | 5 | 1:1,963,255 | 61,562 |
| United States Virgin Islands | 5 | 1:22,075 | 2,767 |
| Bahrain | 4 | 1:337,152 | 6,054 |
| Belarus | 4 | 1:2,375,265 | 105,497 |
| Guernsey | 4 | 1:16,110 | 1,225 |
| Jordan | 4 | 1:2,210,609 | 20,372 |
| Laos | 4 | 1:1,647,081 | 888 |
| Malta | 4 | 1:107,568 | 1,849 |
| Mozambique | 4 | 1:6,815,392 | 4,272 |
| New Caledonia | 4 | 1:69,056 | 6,678 |
| Oman | 4 | 1:921,993 | 7,313 |
| Serbia | 4 | 1:1,786,237 | 30,138 |
| Seychelles | 4 | 1:23,098 | 1,012 |
| Somalia | 4 | 1:3,363,015 | 5,093 |
| South Sudan | 4 | 1:2,853,769 | 1,758 |
| Tunisia | 4 | 1:152,656 | 17,743 |
| Uganda | 4 | 1:9,759,820 | 144,676 |
| Uzbekistan | 4 | 1:7,732,286 | 43,643 |
| Afghanistan | 3 | 1:10,717,728 | 35,605 |
| Luxembourg | 3 | 1:193,514 | 7,046 |
| Saint Lucia | 3 | 1:59,594 | 2,472 |
| Yemen | 3 | 1:8,808,431 | 35,773 |
| Albania | 2 | 1:1,457,028 | 24,967 |
| Azerbaijan | 2 | 1:4,824,561 | 42,415 |
| Bhutan | 2 | 1:308,020 | 1,264 |
| Chile | 2 | 1:8,808,237 | 65,417 |
| Georgia | 2 | 1:1,872,772 | 35,618 |
| Niger | 2 | 1:9,596,008 | 86,358 |
| Paraguay | 2 | 1:3,618,373 | 13,977 |
| Syria | 2 | 1:9,650,511 | 17,817 |
| Algeria | 1 | 1:38,631,551 | 130,422 |
| American Samoa | 1 | 1:55,758 | 3,072 |
| Angola | 1 | 1:26,989,214 | 11,853 |
| Armenia | 1 | 1:2,930,180 | 22,770 |
| Aruba | 1 | 1:103,477 | 2,586 |
| Bahamas | 1 | 1:391,751 | 2,737 |
| Barbados | 1 | 1:287,448 | 2,772 |
| Belize | 1 | 1:355,474 | 3,977 |
| Bolivia | 1 | 1:10,616,434 | 17,077 |
| British Virgin Islands | 1 | 1:31,594 | 1,029 |
| Cape Verde | 1 | 1:529,642 | 6,792 |
| Central African Republic | 1 | 1:4,515,390 | 1,196 |
| Colombia | 1 | 1:47,774,072 | 44,230 |
| Congo | 1 | 1:4,989,096 | 34,171 |
| Croatia | 1 | 1:4,228,604 | 99,289 |
| Dominica | 1 | 1:75,891 | 912 |
| East Timor | 1 | 1:1,215,928 | 507 |
| El Salvador | 1 | 1:6,343,888 | 8,415 |
| Iceland | 1 | 1:380,090 | 11,096 |
| Israel | 1 | 1:8,557,634 | 182,558 |
| Lebanon | 1 | 1:5,637,083 | 32,436 |
| Lesotho | 1 | 1:2,032,558 | 23,402 |
| Lithuania | 1 | 1:3,034,588 | 47,401 |
| North Macedonia | 1 | 1:2,101,472 | 31,546 |
| Maldives | 1 | 1:404,172 | 7,269 |
| Micronesia | 1 | 1:106,243 | 1,380 |
| Moldova | 1 | 1:3,561,368 | 78,271 |
| Namibia | 1 | 1:2,409,401 | 19,676 |
| Rwanda | 1 | 1:11,364,978 | 5,947 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1 | 1:112,659 | 1,704 |
| San Marino | 1 | 1:33,214 | 932 |
| Slovakia | 1 | 1:5,336,450 | 140,422 |
| Sudan | 1 | 1:37,510,195 | 14,259 |
| Swaziland | 1 | 1:1,298,199 | 1,718 |
| Togo | 1 | 1:7,247,768 | 12,049 |
| Transnistria | 1 | 1:474,699 | 17,893 |
| Wallis and Futuna | 1 | 1:13,610 | 185 |
| Zambia | 1 | 1:15,849,922 | 53,989 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 866 | 1:5,115 | 861 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 10,054 | 1:2,424 | 343 |
| Scotland | 3,468 | 1:1,079 | 189 |
| Wales | 85 | 1:18,452 | 1,079 |
| Isle of Man | 8 | 1:6,784 | 664 |
| Guernsey | 4 | 1:8,164 | 1,328 |
| Jersey | 4 | 1:12,971 | 2,116 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 7,757 | 1:6,474 | 809 |
The alternate forms: Làw (1) are calculated separately.
Law (16,179) may also be a first name.
Law Surname Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the low,' i.e. hill; v. Low. The seeming plural form Lawes represents the common tendency to tack on an 's' in monosyllabic local surnames; compare Styles, Oakes, Brooks, Sykes, Dykes, &c. Probably the patronymic s, as in Williams, Jones, Sec.; v. Brook, (a) Bapt. 'the son of Lawrence,' from the nick. Law. For instances, v. Lawson. The final 's' in Lawes will here represent the patronymic, as in Jones, Williams, Jennings, Sec.
William de la Lawe, Northumberland, 1273. Hundred Rolls.
Ralph de la Law, or Lowe, Salop; ibid.
Robertus del Lawe, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.
Johannes de la Law, 1379: ibid.
1527-8. John Brewer and Agnes Lawes: Marriage Lic. (London).
1591. John Lawe, yeoman, and Elizabeth Manteilde: ibid.
There are ten or more places named Law in Scotland from which this name may have been derived. It was a common surname in Glasgow in the sixteenth century. In 1428 Robert de Lawe had a safe conduct to pass through England on his return from Spain. James of Law compeared in court with an accusation against another in 1488 (Prestwick, p. 32), and Quintigernus Law is in record in 1644 (Inputs., 2991). John Law (1671—1729), the financier and projector of commercial schemes, was born in Edinburgh.
(English) Dweller at a Hill, often a Sepulchral Hillock or Mound [Northern English and Scot. law(e, Old English hlǽw] Benedict de la Lawe.—Lanc. Assize-Rolls, A.D, 1246.
David atte Lawe.—Parl. Writs.
A mile an’ a bittock, a mile or twa, Abune the burn, ayont the law.—R. L. Stevenson, ‘A Mile an’ a Bittock.’ (Anglo-French-Latin) a diminutive of Laurence, q.v.
Law Robynson.—Yorks Poll-Tax, A.D. 1379.
(English) Dweller at a burial mound or hillock.
(A-Sax, hlaew, hlaw.') 1. What covers, as a grave, a heap, a barrow, a small hill. 2. A tract of ground gently rising-a low. (Bosworth.) Still used in the North for an eminence.
A hill-also an abbreviation of Lawrence.
(Scottish.) A hill. Laye, old French, a hill.
From Anglo-Saxon hlaw, a heap, burrow, or small hill. Hence the surnames Low, Lowe, and, among other compounds, Blacklaw, Carlaw, Cutlove, Dearlove, Freelove, Fullalove, Greenlaw, Manlove, Marklove, Newlove, Onslowe (hounds), Pursglove, Purslove, Quicklove, Shillinglaw, Spendlove, Spenlove, Sweetlove, Truelove, Truslove, Wardlaw, Whitelaw, Whitlow, Younglove.
1. a local name; 2. for Lowe or St. Lowe.
(English), Hill, Eminence. (variant: Low.)
A location name in Lanark.
Law: (Anglo-Saxon hlewe), a hill: Bassetlaw in the North, Harlow in Essex, Oswaldslaw in Worcestershire, Cotteslow in Bucks, Bucklaw in Cheshire. But low is also employed of a grave-mound.
Law Demographics
Average Male Law Height
175.13 cm
Average Female Law Height
161.62 cm
Sample is predominantly from Anglosphere countries
Law Last Name Facts
Where Does The Last Name Law Come From? nationality or country of origin
The last name Law (Arabic: علاّو, Hassaniya-Arabic: ﺍﻟﻼﻭ, Hindi: लव) occurs more in Hong Kong more than any other country/territory. It may also appear as: Làw. Click here for other potential spellings of Law.
How Common Is The Last Name Law? popularity and diffusion
The surname Law is the 2,224th most frequently held last name in the world, borne by approximately 1 in 29,575 people. This last name occurs mostly in Asia, where 59 percent of Law live; 39 percent live in East Asia and 39 percent live in Sino-East Asia. Law is also the 44,092nd most prevalent given name worldwide It is held by 16,179 people.
The surname Law is most frequent in Hong Kong, where it is carried by 90,996 people, or 1 in 81. Excluding Hong Kong this surname is found in 175 countries. It also occurs in The United States, where 17 percent live and Malaysia, where 10 percent live.
Law Family Population Trend historical fluctuation
The incidence of Law has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people who held the Law surname grew 526 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it grew 204 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it grew 121 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it grew 714 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it declined 74 percent between 1901 and 2014.
Law Last Name Statistics demography
The religious adherence of those carrying the last name is principally Anglican (50%) in Ireland, Orthodox (88%) in Russia and Muslim (71%) in Nigeria.
In The United States those bearing the Law surname are 10.26% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 57.03% registered with the party.
The amount Law earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 40.12% more than the national average, earning 484,925 kr per year; in Peru they earn 6.13% more than the national average, earning S/. 20,574 per year; in South Africa they earn 86.08% more than the national average, earning R 442,188 per year; in United States they earn 0.42% more than the national average, earning $43,332 USD per year and in Canada they earn 12.63% more than the national average, earning $55,956 CAD per year.
Phonetically Similar Names
| Surname | Similarity | Worldwide Incidence | Prevalency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Làw | 89 | 1 | / |
| Liaw | 86 | 8,861 | / |
| Lawe | 86 | 5,723 | / |
| Lauw | 86 | 2,264 | / |
| Leaw | 86 | 721 | / |
| Laiw | 86 | 20 | / |
| Laaw | 86 | 19 | / |
| Lawf | 86 | 5 | / |
| Hlaw | 86 | 3 | / |
| Layw | 86 | 3 | / |
| Llaw | 86 | 1 | / |
| Lyaw | 86 | 1 | / |
| Laww | 86 | 0 | / |
| Liauw | 75 | 1,534 | / |
| Hlawe | 75 | 448 | / |
| Liawe | 75 | 422 | / |
| Lauwe | 75 | 48 | / |
| Lahaw | 75 | 34 | / |
| Laawe | 75 | 30 | / |
| Laiwe | 75 | 24 | / |
| Lawch | 75 | 14 | / |
| Lyawe | 75 | 13 | / |
| Leawe | 75 | 10 | / |
| Lawhe | 75 | 7 | / |
| Lauws | 75 | 4 | / |
| Lachw | 75 | 3 | / |
| Llauw | 75 | 2 | / |
| Lauwf | 75 | 2 | / |
| Laszw | 75 | 2 | / |
| Llavw | 75 | 1 | / |
| Lawff | 75 | 1 | / |
| Laywe | 75 | 1 | / |
| Lawth | 75 | 1 | / |
| Leaws | 75 | 1 | / |
| Lhauw | 75 | 1 | / |
| Liavw | 75 | 1 | / |
| Low | 67 | 146,986 | / |
| Lab | 67 | 7,361 | / |
| Lav | 67 | 4,071 | / |
| Laf | 67 | 842 | / |
| Layweh | 67 | 149 | / |
| Leaweh | 67 | 13 | / |
| Lawsch | 67 | 2 | / |
| Glilaw | 67 | 1 | / |
| Laggiw | 67 | 1 | / |
| Lõw | 67 | 1 | / |
Law Name Transliterations
| Transliteration | ICU Latin | Percentage of Incidence |
|---|---|---|
| Law in the Hassaniya-Arabic language | ||
| ﺍﻟﻼﻭ | allaw | - |
| Law in the Hindi language | ||
| लव | lava | - |
| Law in the Arabic language | ||
| علاّو | law | - |
| لوّ | lw | - |
| علاو | law | - |
| علوّ | lw | - |
| لاو | law | - |
| علو | lw | - |
| لأو | law | - |
| لو | lw | - |
Search for Another Surname
Law Reference & Research
Law DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.
Law FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.
The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data
Footnotes
- Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Law
- To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis