Lazo
A Spanish surname that most likely began as a nickname or occupational name from lazo, meaning a loop, noose, or lasso.
The #2,850 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,426 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Spanish lazo means a loop, knot, noose, or lasso. As a surname, Lazo would most naturally have been applied to someone associated with making or using such a thing, or perhaps to someone known by a metaphorical link with a “bond” or “tie.” The historical excerpts also show the common noun sense clearly: a decorative bow, a snare, or a rope used for catching animals.
History
The surname is Spanish in form and is found in Spanish-speaking countries and their diaspora. In older surname work, names from everyday objects or tools were often treated as nicknames or occupational labels, and Lazo fits that pattern well. The same word also appears in place names and ordinary vocabulary, which can sometimes blur whether a particular family name arose from a nickname, an occupation, or a local association.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Spanish word lazo can mean both a decorative bow and a trap or noose, so the same surname can evoke something elegant or something practical, depending on context.
From the historical record
“sanlázaro. Diestro, astuto. Andrajoso, pordiosero. Lazo. La lazada o nudo de cintas o cosas semejantes, que sirve de adorno, i se hace formando unos como ojos, i dejando los dos cabos sueltos pendientes. Tira larga de cuero trenzado, mul flexible, que termina en un lazo, que sirve para lacear animales. (Suplcio…”
— Diccionario de los apellidos