Lawlor — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Leathlobhair
Meaning: 'descendant of Leathlobhar (half-leper)'
Traditional stronghold: Laois
Pronunciation: LAW-lur; Irish Ó Leathlobhair: oh LAH-lore
History of the Lawlor name
Ó Leathlobhair derives from a curious old personal name meaning half-leper or half-sick, probably borne originally as a nickname. The Lawlors, or Lalors, were one of the Seven Septs of Leix, seated at Dysart Enos beneath the Rock of Dunamase in County Laois, and they fought stubbornly alongside the O'Mores against the plantation of the county; in 1609 the leading families of the septs were transplanted to Tarbert in Kerry. The name endured in Laois and spread through Leinster and Munster. James Fintan Lalor of Tinakill became one of the most influential theorists of Irish land agitation, and his brother Peter led the Eureka Stockade rebellion in Australia.
Variants: Lalor · Lawler · O'Lawlor
Famous bearers of the name
- James Fintan Lalor — Laois writer whose ideas on land and nation shaped the Land League and later revolutionaries.
- Peter Lalor — Leader of the Eureka Stockade miners' rebellion of 1854, later Speaker of the Victorian parliament.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Moore · Dunne · Fitzpatrick · Dowling · Dempsey · Brophy · Bergin · Delaney