2000
#90,252
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 190
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Lazarevic
A Serbian surname derived from the personal name Lazar, which is an Eastern European variant of the name Lazarus.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 347 Americans carry the last name Lazarevic. That puts it at #69,752 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 987,765 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lazarevic surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
347
1 in 987,765
Census rank
#69,752
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
303
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 303 bearers of the surname Lazarevic in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 69752nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lazarevic, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lazarevic
The surname Lazarevic originated in Serbia during the medieval period. It is derived from the Serbian given name Lazar, which itself comes from the Greek name Lazaros, meaning "God has helped." The suffix "-vic" is a Slavic patronymic, indicating "son of."
Lazarevic was initially a designation used to identify the sons or descendants of an individual named Lazar. Over time, it transitioned into a hereditary surname passed down through generations. The name was particularly prevalent in regions of modern-day Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lazarevic name can be found in the Dečani Chrysobull, a 14th-century charter issued by Serbian Prince Stefan Uroš III Dečanski. This document mentions a certain Dobrovoje Lazarevic, a nobleman and courtier.
During the late 14th and early 15th centuries, the Lazarevic family rose to prominence under the leadership of Despot Stefan Lazarevic, the son of Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović. Stefan Lazarevic played a crucial role in Serbian history, ruling as the despot (prince) of the Serbian Despotate from 1389 to 1427.
Another notable figure bearing the Lazarevic surname was Jelena Lazarevic (c. 1365-1443), the daughter of Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and wife of Despot Stefan Lazarevic. She was known for her literary works and patronage of monasteries and churches.
In the 16th century, a branch of the Lazarevic family settled in the Venetian Republic, where they were recognized as members of the nobility. One prominent individual from this lineage was Matija Lazarevic (c. 1550-1624), a Ragusan nobleman and diplomat.
During the Ottoman period, the Lazarevic name continued to be found among Serbian communities throughout the Balkans. Jovan Lazarevic (1750-1828), a Serbian merchant and philanthropist from Trieste, made significant contributions to the Serbian Orthodox Church and educational institutions.
As the surname spread across different regions, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, such as Lazarević, Lazarovich, and Lazarović. However, the core meaning and origin remained rooted in the Serbian given name Lazar and its association with the influential medieval Lazarevic family.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lazarevic
Among Census respondents with the surname Lazarevic, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lazarevic bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lazarevic surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 295
- Two or more races1.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lazarevic
Lazarevic appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#73,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 265
+75 bearers (+39.5%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 17,037 places
2020
#69,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 303
+38 bearers (+14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 3,463 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #90,252 | 190 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #73,215 | 265 | 0.09 | +75 bearers (+39.5%) | Up 17,037 places |
| 2020 | #69,752 | 303 | 0.10 | +38 bearers (+14.3%) | Up 3,463 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lazarevic surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #73,215 | #69,752 | 4.7% |
| Count | 265 | 303 | 14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.10 | 12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lazarevic bearers went from 265 to 303 (+14.3% change). The surname moved up 3,463 positions in the national ranking, going from #73,215 to #69,752.
FAQ
Lazarevic surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lazarevic?
Name Census estimates that about 347 living Americans carry the surname Lazarevic. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 987,765 residents.
How common is Lazarevic?
Lazarevic ranks #69,752 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 303 people with the surname Lazarevic. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (347), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lazarevic.
Has Lazarevic become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lazarevic went from 265 recorded bearers to 303. That is an increase of 38 (+14.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #73,215 to #69,752.
What does the Census say about the background of Lazarevic?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lazarevic, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Black (0.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lazarevic in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (295 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lazarevic appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Two or More Races (1.3%), Black (0.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lazarevic (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lazarevic mean?
A Serbian surname derived from the personal name Lazar, which is an Eastern European variant of the name Lazarus. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lazarevic (0.10 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Lazarevic?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Lazarevic at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.