The name is recent and was given in the village hardly in 1955, from the existence of some big laurel, in replacement supposedly foreiner Sverdia. However Sverdia are reported from 1284 called Syverdja, in documents of M. Layra's monastery.

The medieval name comes helping in the opinion of A. Mihelis that the name of village emanated from the word svverdia = place with a lot of sticks (wickers), that indeed abound in the village. Certain other improbable versions that are reported, are that t name emanated from sverdjos = zervos,(right) blind or from their Zoyrvades, turks landoweners the region (perfectly impossible, after the name preexisted the Turks).
In the region of Laurel existed older the metohi(land) of Haraka. The metohi of Haraka belongs in the M. Layra's monastery.

It should they were from oldest in the island and this because exists the delivery that him had visited Saint Athanassios the Athonitis, the founder of M. lay-Raschof Ag. Terms the 961 AC. In deed exists a glen with the name Ag. Athanassios, where flows a source. It is said that the water spurt up with magical way when the saint Athanassios the Athonitis was thirsty and with his spillikin punctured the earth. In 1569 are reported also settlement with the name Harakas