Lautner was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His parents are Deborah, who works for a software development company, and Daniel Lautner, a commercial airline pilot. Lautner was raised as a Roman Catholic in Hudsonville, Michigan. He went to Jamestown Elementary School until the age of eleven, when the family moved to the Santa Clarita area. Lautner is of mostly Dutch, French, and German ancestry, and claims some Native American ancestry through his mother. He has a younger sister, Makena. He has learnt karate since the age of six.