Lazar
A surname from a medieval name for a leper or beggar, ultimately tied to the biblical Lazarus.
The #5,689 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 50,672 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally linked to Middle English and Anglo-French uses of Lazarus as a name associated with leprosy and begging, especially through the figure of Lazarus in the Gospel parable. In medieval English, a "lazar" could mean a leper or someone housed in a lazar-house, and that sense likely fed into the surname. The deeper origin of Lazarus is the biblical Hebrew name Eleazar, meaning "God has helped," though the surname itself reflects the medieval social term more than the original meaning.
History
The name appears in older surname collections as a descriptive nickname for a person thought to be afflicted with leprosy or connected with a lazar-house. It also overlaps with the much broader European surname tradition built from the personal name Lazarus/Lázár, which spread through Christian usage. In English-speaking countries, Lazar is now relatively uncommon but stable, and in some families it may reflect immigration from Central, Eastern, or Southeastern Europe rather than an English nickname origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Medieval lazar-houses were shelters for people with leprosy, and the word "lazar" was so common that it became a surname in some cases.
From the historical record
“times; cf. the local Spitalfields, London. 'A spittle, hospitall, or lazar -house ■ : Baret, 1580 (quoted by Skeat, v. s^at). William Spitcliiraii, co. Norf., Hen. III- Edw. I. K,”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances