2000
#94,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 179
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Lazarov
From a Slavic surname meaning "son of Lazar", derived from the given name Lazar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 300 Americans carry the last name Lazarov. That puts it at #78,629 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,142,514 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lazarov 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 Lazarov with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
300
1 in 1,142,514
Census rank
#78,629
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
262
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 262 bearers of the surname Lazarov in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 78629th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lazarov, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lazarov
The surname Lazarov originated in the Balkans, specifically in what is now Bulgaria and parts of North Macedonia. It emerged in the late 14th century as a patronymic name, derived from the personal name Lazar, which itself comes from the Biblical name Lazarus. The name Lazarus is of Hebrew origin, meaning "God has helped."
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lazarov can be found in medieval church records and tax registers from villages in the regions of Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo, and Sofia. The name was particularly prevalent among families of the Bulgarian Orthodox faith.
In the 15th century, a notable bearer of the name was Georgi Lazarov, a merchant and landowner from the town of Gabrovo, who was involved in the local textile trade. Around the same time, the Lazarov family of Tarnovo was known for their contributions to the arts, with several members being skilled iconographers and fresco painters.
During the Ottoman rule of the Balkans, the Lazarov surname appeared in various Turkish records and census documents, often spelled in its alternative form, Lazaroff. One such record from the late 16th century mentions a certain Stefan Lazarov, a farmer from the village of Koprivshtitsa, who was involved in a land dispute.
In the 19th century, as the Bulgarian National Revival movement gained momentum, several notable figures with the Lazarov surname emerged. These included Nikola Lazarov (1825-1890), a teacher and writer who authored several textbooks and works of fiction, and Petko Lazarov (1838-1915), a revolutionary and participant in the April Uprising of 1876 against Ottoman rule.
Another significant bearer of the name was Ivan Lazarov (1889-1952), a Bulgarian politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 1936 to 1939. He was instrumental in navigating the country's position during the turbulent years leading up to and during World War II.
As the Lazarov surname spread beyond the Balkans, it also found its way into other parts of Eastern Europe and Russia. One notable example is Mikhail Lazarov (1888-1937), a Russian military commander who fought in the Russian Civil War and later became a victim of Stalin's Great Purge.
While the surname Lazarov is still most commonly found in Bulgaria and North Macedonia, it has also been carried by individuals of note in other parts of the world, particularly among the Bulgarian diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lazarov
Among Census respondents with the surname Lazarov, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lazarov 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 Lazarov surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.4% · 250
- Two or more races2.3% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lazarov
Lazarov 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
#75,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 254
+75 bearers (+41.9%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 18,877 places
2020
#78,629
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 262
+8 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 2,830 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #94,676 | 179 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #75,799 | 254 | 0.09 | +75 bearers (+41.9%) | Up 18,877 places |
| 2020 | #78,629 | 262 | 0.09 | +8 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 2,830 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 Lazarov 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 | #75,799 | #78,629 | -3.7% |
| Count | 254 | 262 | 3.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.09 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lazarov bearers went from 254 to 262 (+3.1% change). The surname moved down 2,830 positions in the national ranking, going from #75,799 to #78,629.
FAQ
Lazarov surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lazarov?
Name Census estimates that about 300 living Americans carry the surname Lazarov. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,142,514 residents.
How common is Lazarov?
Lazarov ranks #78,629 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 262 people with the surname Lazarov. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (300), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Lazarov.
Has Lazarov become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lazarov went from 254 recorded bearers to 262. That is an increase of 8 (+3.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #75,799 to #78,629.
What does the Census say about the background of Lazarov?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lazarov, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Lazarov in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.4% (250 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lazarov appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.4%), Two or More Races (2.3%), Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Lazarov (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 Lazarov mean?
From a Slavic surname meaning "son of Lazar", derived from the given name Lazar. 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 Lazarov (0.09 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 common is the surname Lazarov?
Want to know how common the surname Lazarov is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.