Find out how popular the last name Lazar is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lazar.

Lazar, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lazar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lazar in America

Lazar is the 5689th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lazar surname appeared 6,093 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Lazar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lazar to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Lazar

The surname Lazar has its origins in the Slavic languages, derived from the personal name Lazar, which itself comes from the ancient Greek name Lazaros. This name can be traced back to the Biblical figure Lazarus, whom Jesus Christ raised from the dead according to the Gospel of John.

The name Lazar was particularly prevalent in various Slavic regions, including Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, and Bulgaria. It gained popularity as a surname during the Middle Ages, with early recorded instances dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries.

In medieval Serbia, the Lazar surname was associated with the renowned ruler Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović (c. 1329-1389), who led the Serbian forces against the Ottoman Empire in the Battle of Kosovo in 1389. This historical figure contributed to the widespread use of the surname among Serbs.

Another notable bearer of the Lazar surname was Vuk Lazar Branković (c. 1345-1397), a Serbian nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Serbian resistance against the Ottoman invasion.

In Russia, the Lazar surname can be found in historical records dating back to the 16th century. One prominent figure was Andrei Lazar (c. 1600-1649), a Russian diplomat and statesman who served as the ambassador to Persia during the reign of Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich.

The Lazar surname also has a presence in other Slavic countries, such as Poland and Croatia. In Poland, the name is sometimes spelled as Lazarz, while in Croatia, it may appear as Lazar or Lazarić.

Other notable individuals with the Lazar surname include:

1. Lazar Kaganovich (1893-1991), a Soviet politician and close associate of Joseph Stalin.
2. Lazar Berman (1930-2005), a renowned Russian pianist and teacher.
3. Lazar Moiseyevich Kaganovich (1825-1887), a Russian architect known for his work in St. Petersburg.
4. Lazar Radović (1938-2019), a Serbian poet and writer.
5. Lazar Bačić (1944-2018), a Croatian actor and theater director.

While the surname Lazar has its roots in the Slavic regions, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Greek name Lazaros and its biblical associations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lazar

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lazar.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lazar was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lazar has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lazar was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lazar, please contact us.

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