Laux
A surname often explained as a shortened German form of Lucas/Luke.
The #7,925 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 73,933 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is commonly treated as a German shortened form of Lucas or Lukas, ultimately from the Latin name Lucas and the Greek Loukas, meaning someone from Lucania or simply "Luke." The historical spellings and comparisons in older surname studies link Laux with related shortenings such as Lauk, Lauck, and Lux. In some cases it may also reflect regional German sound changes or later spelling normalization rather than a single fixed original form.
History
Older German surname studies note Laux alongside other reduced forms of Lucas/Lukas, especially in southern and central German usage. The surname also appears in immigrant and regional surname lists in the United States and elsewhere, where it often coexists with variants like Lauk, Lauck, and Lux. Because the name is short and phonetically flexible, spelling could shift over time within the same family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older surname discussions, Laux is sometimes grouped with a whole cluster of short forms built from Lucas/Lukas rather than treated as a separate root name.
From the historical record
“„"Wäscher, "Walker" im Kloster (Becker). Laux s. Lucas. Law- 8. Laurentius. Leb- 8. 1) liub 2) Liud (V.). -leb s. a) L Laif b) HI. Loben. Leben IH. in ON. Nach Förstemann (und Pott, welcher die deutsche Abkunft dieses”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen