2000
#5,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,418
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Lawhorn
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a mound or burial site.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,932 Americans carry the last name Lawhorn. That puts it at #6,316 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,781 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lawhorn surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,781
Census rank
#6,316
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,173 bearers of the surname Lawhorn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6316th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawhorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lawhorn
The surname Lawhorn originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "hlaw" meaning hill or mound, and "horn" referring to a horn-shaped bend or curve. This suggests the name may have originated from a geographical feature, perhaps a settlement situated near a curved hill or mound.
Early spellings of the name include Lawehorn, Lauhorn, and Lawehorne, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. The name is believed to have first appeared in the county of Gloucestershire, with records indicating families bearing the name residing in the villages of Naunton and Guiting Power.
One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1327, which lists a Robert Lawhorn as a taxpayer in the village of Naunton. This suggests the name was already established in the region by the 14th century.
During the 16th century, the Lawhorn family appears to have expanded their presence beyond Gloucestershire. Records from this period show individuals with the surname residing in the counties of Wiltshire, Somerset, and Dorset. Notable figures from this time include William Lawhorn, a merchant from Salisbury, Wiltshire, who was born in 1542.
In the 17th century, the Lawhorne spelling variation emerged, as seen in the birth record of John Lawhorne, born in 1657 in the village of Guiting Power, Gloucestershire. This spelling remained in use alongside Lawhorn for several generations.
The 18th century saw the migration of some Lawhorn families to the American colonies. One notable individual was Thomas Lawhorn, who was born in Gloucestershire in 1712 and later settled in Virginia, where he became a respected landowner and farmer.
Other notable individuals with the surname Lawhorn throughout history include:
1. Sir Robert Lawhorn (1527-1591), a English judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Elizabeth Lawhorn (1675-1744), an early settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the accusers in the Salem Witch Trials.
3. Captain James Lawhorn (1745-1818), an American Revolutionary War officer from Virginia who later became a prominent politician.
4. Mary Lawhorn (1801-1879), a pioneering educator and founder of one of the first schools for African American children in Tennessee.
5. John Lawhorn (1887-1958), a renowned British architect known for his work in the Arts and Crafts style.
While the Lawhorn surname may not be among the most common, its history spans centuries and can be traced back to its roots in the English countryside, reflecting the diverse experiences of those who have borne this name throughout the generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lawhorn
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawhorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lawhorn bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lawhorn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.4% · 3,745
- Black or African American19.1% · 987
- Two or more races4.5% · 234
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 126
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lawhorn
Lawhorn appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,465
+47 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 396 places
2020
#6,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,173
-292 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,852 | 5,418 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,248 | 5,465 | 1.85 | +47 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 396 places |
| 2020 | #6,316 | 5,173 | 1.73 | -292 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 68 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lawhorn surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,248 | #6,316 | -1.1% |
| Count | 5,465 | 5,173 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.73 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lawhorn bearers went from 5,465 to 5,173 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,248 to #6,316.
FAQ
Lawhorn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lawhorn?
Name Census estimates that about 5,932 living Americans carry the surname Lawhorn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,781 residents.
How common is Lawhorn?
Lawhorn ranks #6,316 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,173 people with the surname Lawhorn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,932), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lawhorn.
Has Lawhorn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lawhorn went from 5,465 recorded bearers to 5,173. That is a decrease of 292 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,248 to #6,316.
What does the Census say about the background of Lawhorn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lawhorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lawhorn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.4% (3,745 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lawhorn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.4%), Black (19.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lawhorn (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lawhorn mean?
A surname of English origin referring to someone who lived near a mound or burial site. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lawhorn (1.73 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Lawhorn?
If you just want to know how common the surname Lawhorn is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.