Lazzara Explained

Lazzara is a surname originating from the Aramaic given name Lazar, which is a form of the Hebrew name Elazar. This name is a conjunction of "El", meaning God and of "Azar", which means help. This translates roughly as "may God help him" or "God has helped".^[1] Historically, particular habits may have caused nicknames to become surnames; in Italy, Lazzara may have arisen from one who was a beggar,^[2] or biblically from leper.^[3]

Lazzara may refer to:

• Adam Lazzara (born 1981), lead singer for Taking Back Sunday
• Bernadette Peters (originally Lazzara; born 1948), actress and singer
• Marco Lazzara (born 1962), 20th-century Italian countertenor
• Michael Lazzara, American politician
• Richard A. Lazzara (born 1945), judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida

Sources

• Book: Coles Smith, Eldson. American surnames. 1986. Genealogical Publishing Com. 0-8063-1150-9. registration.
• Book: Wheeler, William Adolphus. An Explanatory and Pronouncing Dictionary of the Noted Names of Fiction; Including Also Familiar Pseudonyms, Surnames Bestowed on Eminent Men, and Analogous Popular Appellations Often Referred to in Literature and Conversation. 2010. Read Books. 978-1-4455-5237-8.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Lazzara Coat of Arms / Lazzara family crest. Coat of Arms. 6 November 2010.
2. Coles Smith, p. 165.
3. Wheeler, p. 211.