Lazarus

Meaning of Lazarus

Lazarus traces its roots to the Hebrew Elʽāzār, meaning “God has helped,” a thought-packed little blessing that has journeyed into Greek as Lazaros and then into English as the steady, two-beat LAZ-uh-rus. Most people meet Lazarus in the Gospel story where Jesus calls him from the tomb—an unforgettable cameo that turned the name into shorthand for second chances and spectacular comebacks. Over the centuries, poets, painters, rock bands, and even a Mars rover experiment have borrowed Lazarus for its built-in note of hope, so a modern bearer gets a literary halo as well as a biblical one. In the United States the name has never been wildly common—hovering in the mid-hundreds for more than a century—but that under-the-radar status only adds to its quiet charisma. Choosing Lazarus today feels a bit like planting a vintage seed and watching it rise again: familiar yet unexpected, timeless yet fresh, and forever linked with the comforting idea that help is always on the way.