Lazarus
LAZ-uh-rus
Lazarus is a name of immense historical and spiritual weight, long associated with themes of revival, resilience, and divine intervention. While rare as a given name in modern English-speaking countries, it carries a powerful gravitas that appeals to parents seeking something deeply rooted and meaningful. Its associations with rebirth have made it a recurring name in literature, music, and art.
At a glance
Lazarus is a name of profound biblical and cultural weight, derived from the Hebrew meaning God has helped. Famous above all for the New Testament miracle of resurrection, it has become a powerful symbol of revival and second chances, recurring throughout literature, music, and art across two thousand years of Western culture.
Etymology & History
Lazarus is the Greek and Latin rendering of the Hebrew name Eleazar, itself composed of two elements: 'El', meaning God, and 'azar', meaning to help. The full meaning, God has helped, reflects a common pattern in Hebrew naming whereby a child's name gives thanks for divine assistance, often in the context of a difficult pregnancy or birth. Eleazar was a significant name in the Hebrew tradition, borne by several figures in the Old Testament including a son of Aaron, the brother of Moses. When the Hebrew scriptures were translated into Greek to produce the Septuagint, Eleazar was rendered as Eleazaros, but a contracted vernacular form, Lazaros, also entered use and it is this shortened version that appears in the Greek New Testament. The Latin Vulgate preserved it as Lazarus, the form that passed into all the major European languages. In the medieval Latin tradition, the name was closely associated with both the Lazarus raised by Jesus in the Gospel of John and the beggar Lazarus who appears in the parable of the rich man in the Gospel of Luke. These two distinct biblical figures shared the name and between them covered the themes of miraculous resurrection and the reversal of fortune, giving Lazarus a uniquely layered symbolic range that no other biblical name quite matches.
Cultural Significance
Few names carry as much symbolic freight as Lazarus. Its association with resurrection from the dead, as recounted in the Gospel of John, made it a powerful emblem of hope, revival, and miraculous transformation in the Christian tradition, and that symbolism has reverberated through Western culture ever since. David Bowie chose this resonance deliberately for his final album, released just two days before his death in January 2016. The song 'Lazarus', from 'Blackstar', opens with the line 'Look up here, I'm in heaven', and was widely understood as Bowie's considered farewell, using the resurrection theme of the name to frame his own departure. The gesture was typical of Bowie's career-long engagement with myth and reinvention. Emma Lazarus, the nineteenth-century American poet whose sonnet 'The New Colossus' is inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, gave the name a secular humanist dimension, connecting it to themes of welcome and refuge that remain urgently relevant. In literature and popular culture, the name has been used repeatedly to signal themes of return, survival, and renewed purpose, from Robert Heinlein's immortal hero Lazarus Long to countless others. As a given name it remains rare, which only reinforces its impact when encountered.
Famous people named Lazarus
Lazarus of Bethany
Biblical figure from the Gospel of John whom Jesus raised from the dead after four days, one of the most dramatic miracles described in the New Testament.
Emma Lazarus
American poet best known for writing 'The New Colossus', the sonnet whose lines 'Give me your tired, your poor' are inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.
Lazarus Long
Fictional character created by Robert A. Heinlein appearing in multiple science fiction novels, a nearly immortal man born in 1912 whose name itself symbolizes extraordinary longevity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where you'll find Lazarus
Lazarus shows up in these curated collections across Namekin.