Lavelle
An Irish surname that was often used as an Anglicized or Gallicized form of older Gaelic family names.
The #5,711 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 50,831 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In Irish sources, Lavelle is commonly treated as an Anglicized form of a Gaelic surname, with Matheson linking it to earlier forms such as Liggot, Lewers, and Lawell in his surname tables. Woulfe’s material points to Gaelic forms behind the name, while Baring-Gould notes that some families adopted Lavelle as a Gallicized replacement for older Irish surnames. A French-looking spelling may also have encouraged the form in later use, especially where Irish names were reshaped to sound more continental.
History
The surname is best known in Ireland, especially in Connacht and the west, where it is associated with older Gaelic families. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scholars often discussed it as a surname reshaped by anglicization or gallicization rather than a single simple one-language origin. The form also appears in French surname lists, which may have reinforced the spelling in some families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Baring-Gould explicitly gives O'Melaville as a name that had been turned into Lavelle, showing how strongly some Irish surnames were reshaped to look French.
From the historical record
“1069. LAVELLE. Liggot. Lewers, 137,175. Luby. 329. Lawell. 40. 1089”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland