Lawrence (surname)

Lawrence is an English, Scottish and Irish surname. It is derived from Middle English or old French given name Laurence; itself derived from Latin Laurentius. The Oxford dictionary of family names of Britain lists Laurence and McLaren as variants.

Laurentius, a Latin given name which means "from Laurentium", derives from the word laurel, a Roman symbol of victory.

Notable people

A–D

• Abbott Lawrence (1792–1855), a noted merchant and founder of Lawrence, Massachusetts
• Abraham Riker Lawrence (1832–1917), New York Supreme Court Justice
• Allan Lawrence (politician) (1925–2008), Ontario provincial MPP and federal MP
• Alonzo Lawrence (born 1989), American football player
• Amos Adams Lawrence (1814–1886), abolitionist and founder of the University of Kansas
• Amos Lawrence (1786–1852), Massachusetts philanthropist and politician
• Andrew Lawrence (disambiguation)
• Bert Lawrence (1923–2007), Ontario provincial MPP
• Bill Lawrence (TV producer), American screenwriter and the creator of Scrubs
• Brenton Lawrence (born 1984), Australian Rugby League player
• Brian Lawrence (born 1976), American baseball pitcher
• Bruno Lawrence (1941–1995), New Zealand actor and musician
• Carmen Lawrence (born 1948), Australian politician
• Carol Lawrence (born 1932), American actress most often associated with musical theatre
• Carolyn Lawrence (born 1967), American voice actress
• Casey Lawrence (born 1987), American baseball pitcher
• Charles Lawrence (British Army officer) (1709–1760), British military officer and later governor of Nova Scotia
• Chris Lawrence (rugby league) (born 1988), Australian Rugby League player
• Christopher Lawrence (disambiguation)
• Claudia Lawrence, disappeared in York, England in 2009
• Cornelius Van Wyck Lawrence (1791–1861), Mayor of New York City, and US Congressman
• Curly Lawrence (1883–1967), British model engineer
• Cyril Lawrence (1920–2020), English footballer
• D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930), English author
• Davey Lawrence (born 1985), English ice hockey goaltender
• David Lawrence (disambiguation)
• David Lawrence (cricketer) (born 1964), English cricketer
• Debbi Lawrence (born 1961), American racewalker
• Derek Lawrence, English record producer
• Dexter Lawrence (born 1997), American football player
• Don Lawrence (1928–2003), British comic book artist
• Dorothy Bell Lawrence (1911–1973), New York assemblywoman
• Doug Lawrence (disambiguation)
• Douglas Lawrence, Australian organist, conductor, and choir director

E–J

• Edith Lawrence (1890–1973), British artist
• Edward A. Lawrence (1831–1883), New York politician
• Effingham Lawrence (1820–1878), US Congressman from Louisiana
• Ellis F. Lawrence, architect and founder of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts at the University of Oregon
• Ernest O. Lawrence (1901–1958), Nobel Prize-winning physicist: best known for inventing the cyclotron, his work in the Manhattan Project, and founding Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Eugene Lawrence (born 1986), American basketball player
• Fenda Lawrence, 18th-century slave trader
• Florence Lawrence (1886–1938), inventor and silent film actress from Hamilton, Ontario
• Frances Lawrence (disambiguation)
• Francis Lawrence (disambiguation)
• Frederick William Lawrence (1892–1974), Canadian–American airbrush painter
• Frederick Newbold Lawrence (1834–1916), American president of the New York Stock Exchange
• Gaylon Lawrence (1934–2012), American businessman and farmer
• Geoffrey Lawrence (disambiguation)
• George Alfred Lawrence (1827–1876), English novelist
• George Newbold Lawrence (1806–1895), American businessman and amateur ornithologist
• George P. Lawrence, former U.S. Representative from Massachusetts
• George St. Patrick Lawrence (1804–1884), English soldier
• George Van Eman Lawrence (1818–1904), member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
• Gertrude Lawrence (1898–1952), English actress and musical comedy performer
• Hal Lawrence (1920–1994), Canadian naval officer, historian and author
• Henry Lawrence (1806–1857) British soldier
• Henry Lawrence (1848–1902), English rugby union player
• Herbert Lawrence (1861–1943) British soldier
• Holly Lawrence (born 1990), British triathlete
• Iain Lawrence (born 1978), British film director and screenwriter
• Jacob Lawrence (1917–2000), American painter known for "dynamic cubism" style
• Jacqueline Lawrence (canoeist), (born 1982), Australian slalom canoeist
• James Lawrence (born 1992), English footballer
• James Lawrence (1781–1813), American naval captain and hero of the War of 1812
• Jennifer Lawrence (born 1990), American actress
• Jennifer Lawrence (Stop the Steal), political activist
• Joey Lawrence (born 1976), American comic actor
• John Hundale Lawrence, a nuclear medicine pioneer, brother of Ernest O. Lawrence
• John L. Lawrence (1785–1849), New York politician
• John Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence (1811–79), British statesman
• Joseph Lawrence (Pennsylvania politician) (1786–1886), member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
• Josie Lawrence (born 1959), English actress and comedian
• Justin Lawrence (disambiguation), several people

K–S

• Katrina Lawrence (born 1983), Australian slalom canoeist
• Key Lawrence (born 2001), American college football player
• Lawrence (1831 cricketer), an English cricketer whose first name is not known
• Liam Lawrence (born 1981), English-born Irish footballer
• Liz Lawrence, English singer-songwriter and guitarist
• Margaret Morgan Lawrence (1914–2019), American psychiatrist
• Martin Lawrence (born 1965), American actor and comedian
• Mary Lawrence (actor) (1918–1991), American film and television actress and author
• Mary Lawrence (sculptor) (1868–1945), American sculptor
• Mary V. Tingley Lawrence (d. 1931), American writer, customs inspector
• Matthew Lawrence, (born 1974), English footballer
• Matthew Lawrence, (1596–1652), English puritan preacher
• M. Larry Lawrence, United States Ambassador
• Michael Lawrence (disambiguation)
• Mike Lawrence (bridge) (born 1940), American bridge player
• Mr. Lawrence (born 1969), American actor
• Nathaniel Lawrence (1761–1797), New York politician
• Patrice Lawrence, British writer and journalist
• Peter Lawrence (disambiguation), several people
• Philip Lawrence (1947–1995), murdered headmaster of St. George's Roman Catholic School
• Raghava Lawrence (born 1976), Indian choreographer, actor, director and producer
• Rashard Lawrence (born 1998), American football player
• R. D. Lawrence, Canadian naturalist and writer
• Reginald Frederick Lawrence, South African entomologist
• Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. (1935–1967) the first Black American astronaut and member of the proposed Manned Orbiting Laboratory program of the U.S. Air Force
• Rosalyn Lawrence (born 1989), Australian slalom canoeist
• Sally Ward Lawrence Hunt Armstrong Downs, also known as Sallie Ward, (1827–1896), American socialite.
• Samuel Lawrence (disambiguation)
• Samuel Lawrence (congressman) (1773–1837), New York politician
• Samuel Lawrence (Canadian politician) (1879–1959), Canadian politician
• Scott Lawrence (born 1963), American film and television actor and voice of Darth Vader in Star Wars video games
• Sharon Lawrence (born 1961), American television actress
• Sihna Lawrence, member of the cabinet of Federated States of Micronesia
• Murder of Stephen Lawrence
• Steve Lawrence (born 1935), American singer, comedian, and actor
• Stringer Lawrence (1697–1775), English soldier
• Syd Lawrence, British bandleader and founder of the Syd Lawrence Orchestra big band

T–Z

• T. E. Lawrence (1888–1935), British soldier and author ("Lawrence of Arabia")
• Tayna Lawrence (born 1975), Jamaican athlete
• Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830), English portrait painter
• Tommy Lawrence (1940–2018), Scottish footballer
• Toni Lawrence (born 1976), convicted of criminal confinement in the torture-murder of Shanda Sharer
• Tracy Lawrence (born 1968), American country singer and musician
• Trevor Lawrence (born 1999), American football player
• Trevor Lawrence (disambiguation), several other people
• Vicki Lawrence (born 1949), American actress, singer, and comedian
• Washington H. Lawrence (1840–1900), founder of National Carbon Company
• Wendell Lawrence (born 1967), Bahamian triple jumper
• William Lawrence (disambiguation)
• William Appleton Lawrence, 3rd Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts
• William Lawrence (biologist) (1783–1867), English surgeon and natural historian, a pre-Darwinian advocate of anthropoid origin of mankind
• William Lawrence (bishop), the 7th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts
• William Lawrence (Ohio Democrat), member of the United States House of Representatives from the 17th District of Ohio
• William Lawrence (Ohio Republican), Republican politician from Ohio
• William P. Lawrence (1930–2005), United States naval officer
• William Witherle Lawrence (1876–1936), American philologist

Fictional characters

• Johnny Lawrence, character in the Karate Kid franchise
• Carrie and Jack Lawrence, characters in the 1997 American comedy movie Fathers' Day
• Eula Lawrence, playable character in the 2020 video game Genshin Impact

See also

• Laurence (disambiguation)
• Lawrance (disambiguation)
• Lawrence (given name)
• Lawrence (disambiguation)
• Laurance
• McLaren (disambiguation)