Table of contents
Family name origins & meanings
- German : nickname for a physically strong person, from Middle High German louwe, lauwe ‘lion’. In some cases the surname may have been originally from a house sign.
- North German : topographic name for someone living in a bush-covered area or clearing, Middle Low German lo, loch, lage.
- North German and Dutch : from a vernacular short form of the personal name Laurentius (see Lawrence).
- Dutch : nickname from Middle Dutch laeu ‘lazy’, ‘indifferent’, ‘faint-hearted’.
- Chinese :
Cantonese form of Liu 1. - Chinese :
Cantonese form of Liu 3. - Chinese :
variant of Lao 2.