Lawless (surname)
| Pronunciation | /ˈlɔːləs/ |
|---|---|
| Language | English, Irish |
| Origin | |
| Meaning | "Outlaw" |
Lawless, or Laighléis in Irish Gaelic,[1] is an English and Irish surname. It originates as the name of someone who was literally lawless (Laweles, in Middle English), meaning "outlaw".[2][3]
History
The name was established in the historical Irish provinces of Leinster, Connacht and Munster around the time of Anglo-Norman invasions of the 12th century.[4][5]
Sir Hugh de Lawless, a soldier from Hoddesdon, Herefordshire fought in Ireland during the reign of Henry II and later built a castle by Shanganagh.[6] Richard Lawless was Provost of Dublin in 1311, and held the office of Chief Magistrate and Mayor of Dublin for three years.[7] Stephen Lawless was consecrated Bishop of Limerick in 1354, until his death on Innocents' Day, 1359.[8]
Notable people
Notable people with the surname include:
- Alex Lawless (born 1985), Welsh footballer
- Billy Lawless (1950–2024), Irish politician
- Blackie Lawless, stage name of Steven Duren (born 1956), American singer, songwriter and musician. Lead singer/guitarist of 1980s hard rock band W.A.S.P.
- Burton Lawless (born 1953), National Football League offensive lineman
- Cecil Lawless (1821–1853), Irish politician
- Chris Lawless (born 1995), British cyclist
- Elinor Lawless (born 1983), Northern Irish actress
- Emily Lawless (1845–1913), Irish novelist and poet
- Erin Lawless (born 1985), American-Slovak basketball player
- Frank Lawless (1870–1922), Irish politician and participant in the 1916 Easter Rising
- Jack Lawless (born 1987), American musician
- James Lawless (born 1976), Irish politician
- Jayne Lawless (born 1974), English installation artist
- John Lawless, various people
- Lucy Lawless (born 1968), New Zealand actress
- Louie Lawless, Canadian actor
- Margaret Wynne Lawless (1866–1939), American poet
- Nicholas Lawless, 1st Baron Cloncurry (1735–1799), Irish noble
- Paul Lawless (born 1964), Canadian retired National Hockey League player
- Shauna Lawless (born c. 1985/1986), fantasy novelist
- Steven Lawless (born 1991), Scottish footballer
- Terry Lawless (1933–2009), English boxing manager and trainer
- Theodore K. Lawless (1892-1971), American dermatologist and philanthropist
- Tom Lawless (born 1956), American Major League Baseball player
- Valentine Lawless, 2nd Baron Cloncurry (1773–1853), Irish politician and landowner; son of Nicholas Lawless
References
- ↑ "Laighléis - Irish Names and Surnames". www.libraryireland.com. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
- ↑ Hanks, Patrick; Coates, Richard; McClure, Peter (2016). The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199677764.
- ↑ Harrison, Henry (1912). Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary. Vol. 1. London: The Eaton Press. OCLC 228588825.
- ↑ MacLysaght, Edward (1985). The Surnames of Ireland (6th ed.). Irish Academic Press. p. 191. ISBN 978-0716523666.
- ↑ Woulfe, Patrick (1923). Irish Names and Surnames (Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall). Dublin: M. H. Gill & Son.
- ↑ Frame, Robin (2016). "English marcher lineages in south Dublin in the late middle ages". Irish Historical Studies. 27 (105). Cambridge University Press: 27–28. doi:10.1017/S00211214000493DAC994C8669BD31E3504A1.
- ↑ Gilbert, John Thomas (1870). Historic and Municipal Documents of Ireland, A.D. 1172–1320. Longmans, Green, and Co. pp. 80–81.
- ↑ Walsh, Thomas (1854). History of the Irish Hierarchy: With the Monasteries of each County (PDF). D. & J. Sadlier & Co. pp. 231–232.