Lawless is an English and Irish surname. It originates as the name of someone literally lawless (Laghless, in Old English), meaning "outlaw" or "not controlled by law".[1][2]
Notable people with the surname include:
- Alex Lawless (born 1985), Welsh footballer
- Billy Lawless (1950–2024), Irish politician
- Blackie Lawless, stage name of Steven Duren (born 1956), American singer, songwriter and musician. Lead singer/guitarist of 1980s hard rock band W.A.S.P.
- Burton Lawless (born 1953), National Football League offensive lineman
- Cecil Lawless (1821–1853), Irish politician
- Chris Lawless (born 1995), British cyclist
- Elinor Lawless (born 1983), Northern Irish actress
- Emily Lawless (1845–1913), Irish novelist and poet
- Erin Lawless (born 1985), American-Slovak basketball player
- Frank Lawless (1870–1922), Irish politician and participant in the 1916 Easter Rising
- Jack Lawless (born 1987), American musician
- James Lawless (born 1976), Irish politician
- Jayne Lawless (born 1974), English installation artist
- John Lawless (disambiguation), various people
- Lucy Lawless (born 1968), New Zealand actress best known for starring in the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess
- Louie Lawless, Canadian actor
- Margaret Wynne Lawless (1866–1939), American poet, author, educator, philanthropist
- Nicholas Lawless, 1st Baron Cloncurry (1735–1799), Irish wool merchant, banker and politician
- Paul Lawless (ice hockey) (born 1964), Canadian retired National Hockey League left winger
- Shauna Lawless (born c. 1985/1986), fantasy novelist
- Steven Lawless (born 1991), Scottish footballer
- Terry Lawless (1933–2009), English boxing manager and trainer
- Theodore K. Lawless (1892-1971), American dermatologist and philanthropist
- Tom Lawless (born 1956), American Major League Baseball player
- Valentine Lawless, 2nd Baron Cloncurry (1773–1853), Irish politician and landowner; son of Nicholas Lawless