German: nickname for a physically strong person, from Middle
High German louwe, lauwe ‘lion’. In some cases the
surname may have been originally from a house sign.North German:
topographic name for someone living in a bush-covered area or
clearing, Middle Low German lo, loch, lage.North German and Dutch: from a vernacular short form of the
personal name Laurentius (see Lawrence).Dutch:
nickname from Middle Dutch laeu ‘lazy’, ‘indifferent’,
‘faint-hearted’.Chinese : Cantonese form of
Liu 1.Chinese : Cantonese form of
Liu 3.Chinese : variant of Lao 2.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
166,801
Historical Documents & Family Trees with Lau
The information for this chart came from the U.S. Immigration Collection at Ancestry.com.
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Click on a circle in the chart to view Lau birth and death records
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