2000
#5,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,709
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.12
Rare Last name
Lazaro
A surname of Spanish origin derived from the biblical name Lazarus, meaning "God has helped."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,783 Americans carry the last name Lazaro. That puts it at #4,043 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,036 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lazaro 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lazaro with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.8K
1 in 35,036
Census rank
#4,043
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,531 bearers of the surname Lazaro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4043rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lazaro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.1%) and White (11.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lazaro
The surname Lazaro has its origin in Spain, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a derivative of the Latin name Lazarus, which itself comes from the Hebrew name "Elʿazar," meaning "God has helped."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Lazaro can be found in Spanish records from the 13th century, where it appeared in various spellings such as Lazaro, Lazara, and Lazarus. These early occurrences were concentrated in the regions of Castile and Aragon.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Lazaro was Don Lazaro de Tormes, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who lived in the late 14th century. He was renowned for his valor and leadership during the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign to drive the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula.
In the 15th century, the name gained prominence with the birth of Lazaro de Tormes (1455-1530), a Spanish Renaissance author and satirist. His most famous work, "La vida de Lazarillo de Tormes y de sus fortunas y adversidades," is considered one of the earliest novels in Spanish literature and a pioneering work in the picaresque genre.
Another significant figure bearing the surname Lazaro was Fray Bartolomé de las Casas (1484-1566), a Spanish Dominican friar and historian. He is renowned for his advocacy for the rights of Native Americans and his criticism of the Spanish colonists' treatment of indigenous peoples in the West Indies.
During the 16th century, the name Lazaro also appeared in various Spanish place names, such as Lazaro, a municipality in the province of Soria, and Lazarillo, a hamlet in the province of Palencia. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Lazaro who lived in or were associated with those locations.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the surname Lazaro spread to other parts of the world, including the Americas. One notable individual was Juan Lazaro (1545-1624), a Spanish sailor and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous circumnavigation of the globe in the early 16th century.
Throughout its history, the surname Lazaro has been borne by numerous other individuals of note, including artists, writers, and scholars. Its enduring presence in Spanish-speaking regions and beyond is a testament to its rich heritage and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lazaro
Among Census respondents with the surname Lazaro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.1%) and White (11.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lazaro 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 Lazaro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino69.3% · 5,908
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.1% · 1,373
- White11.2% · 956
- Two or more races1.8% · 155
- Black or African American1.5% · 132
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lazaro
Lazaro 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
#3,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,061
+3,352 bearers (+58.7%)
Per 100,000 3.07
Rank movement Up 1,659 places
2020
#4,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,531
-530 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 2.85
Rank movement Down 121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,581 | 5,709 | 2.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,922 | 9,061 | 3.07 | +3,352 bearers (+58.7%) | Up 1,659 places |
| 2020 | #4,043 | 8,531 | 2.85 | -530 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 121 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 Lazaro 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 | #3,922 | #4,043 | -3.1% |
| Count | 9,061 | 8,531 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.07 | 2.85 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lazaro bearers went from 9,061 to 8,531 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 121 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,922 to #4,043.
FAQ
Lazaro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lazaro?
Name Census estimates that about 9,783 living Americans carry the surname Lazaro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,036 residents.
How common is Lazaro?
Lazaro ranks #4,043 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,531 people with the surname Lazaro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,783), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Lazaro.
Has Lazaro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lazaro went from 9,061 recorded bearers to 8,531. That is a decrease of 530 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,922 to #4,043.
What does the Census say about the background of Lazaro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lazaro, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.1%) and White (11.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lazaro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.3% (5,908 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lazaro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (69.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (16.1%), White (11.2%). 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 Lazaro (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 Lazaro mean?
A surname of Spanish origin derived from the biblical name Lazarus, meaning "God has helped." 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 Lazaro (2.85 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 Lazaro?
You can see how common the surname Lazaro is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.