According to genealogical researchers, the surname Tzavaras (Greek: Τζαβάρας) can be classified as of patronymic / nickname origin.
It is either the Hellenization of the Albanian word çanavar which means "monster" or "brave", but within a historical context would signify “mercenary” and later on “janissary”; or a Byzantine compound surname made up of the prefix dia (tza), with a general meaning of “through”, but here understood as “origin” or “from”; and the term baros meaning “heavy”, but signifying “strong”.[1]