Laurence - Lawrence

Laurence and Lawrence are different spellings of the same name, and have the same pronunciation, with (in RP) a first syllable like that in 'foreign' and 'lorry', and the second vowel a shwa: 'LORR-ens', IPA: /ˈlɒr əns/. In GA, the first vowel may be likie that an 'awe' and 'saw', or the long 'a' of (RP) 'start' and 'father': /ˈlɔːr əns/ or /ˈlɑːr əns/.

The oldest form of the name was the Latin Laurentius, a cognomen meaning '[a man from] Laurentum' - a town in Latium. Its name is probably pre-Roman.

• In modern English, the spelling Laurence is more usual as a forename; the spelling with '-w-' is more usual for surnames, although usage is actually quite fluid. AWE recommends that the name of St Laurence[ sghould always be spelled thus.