Lawhorn
A surname most likely formed from a place-name or an older compound nickname, with the first element from Middle English or Old English “law” and the second from “horn.”
The #6,248 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 56,495 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lawhorn is an English-language surname whose exact origin is uncertain. It is probably built from two Old English or Middle English elements: law, which could mean a hill, ridge, or mound in some place-names, and horn, meaning a horn-shaped spur of land, a corner, or a pointed feature. In surname form, it may have begun as a locational name from a place with such a description, or as a topographic nickname for someone living near a horn-shaped landform.
History
The name is found mainly in the United States today, where it likely reflects older English immigration and later regional spelling stabilization. Because the surname is uncommon and not strongly documented in the standard 19th-century surname dictionaries, its precise line of development is not certain. Modern bearers may share the same spelling even if the name arose independently in more than one family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Horn-shaped place-names are a common source of English surnames, so Lawhorn fits a familiar pattern even though its exact original locality is unclear.