Scottish, Irish, and English: nickname for an unbridled and
licentious man, from Middle English laghless, lawelas (a
compound of late Old English lagu ‘law’ (from Old Norse) + the
native suffix -l(e)as ‘without’, ‘lacking’). Reaney suggests
additionally that this name may have referred to an outlaw (i.e. one
from whom the protection of the law had been withdrawn), but this
seems unlikely.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
231,766
Historical Documents & Family Trees with Lawless
Click on a place to view Lawless immigration records
The information for this chart came from the U.S. Immigration Collection at Ancestry.com.
You can find out where the majority of the Lawless families were living before
they immigrated to the U.S and learn where to focus your search for foreign records.
Immigration records can tell you an ancestor's name, ship name, port of departure,
port of arrival, and destination.
Click on a circle in the chart to view Lawless immigration records
You can find out when most of the Lawless families immigrated
to the United States.
You can focus your search to immigration records dating from that era.
Immigration records can tell you an ancestor's name, ship name, port of departure,
port of arrival and destination.
Click on a circle in the chart to view Lawless birth and death records
An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your ancestors lived in harsh conditions.
A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in
your family.
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