Alas
A rare surname of uncertain origin, most likely from a short nickname or a non-English name later simplified in spelling.
The #7,619 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 70,846 Americans shares it.
Etymology
No clear etymology can be established from the available historical sources. Because the excerpts provided do not contain a true dictionary entry for ALAS, the surname’s origin is best treated as uncertain. It may reflect a shortened or altered form of another name, or in some cases a spelling influenced by another language, but there is not enough evidence here to say more confidently.
History
The supplied 19th- and early-20th-century sources do not discuss ALAS as a surname, only the word "alas" as an interjection in ordinary text. As a result, there is no solid historical trail here for the surname’s spread or development. In modern records it appears to be uncommon and likely represents a small number of unrelated families rather than a single well-documented surname line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because the form is identical to the common English exclamation "alas," this surname can look like a phrase rather than a family name in records.
From the historical record
“penny. Alas, this reconfirms what I said, rather ; Cosmus has ever been a penny-father. — Harrington, Epigrams (A.D. 1615), ii. 21. PENNIGER, V. Pennager.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)