Lazzara

Lazzara

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, lead singer for Taking Back Sunday.
• Bernadette Peters (originally Lazzara), actress and singer
• Marco Lazzara, 20th-century Italian countertenor.
• Richard A. Lazzara, judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
• Robert R. Lazzara, a noted cardiothoracic surgeon.

References

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

Sources

• Coles Smith, Eldson (1986). American surnames. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN 0-8063-1150-9.
• Wheeler, William Adolphus (2010). 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. Read Books. ISBN 978-1-4455-5237-8.