Surname Szapiro - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'S'
Szapiro: What does the surname Szapiro mean?
Szapiro is a surname of Jewish Ashkenazi origin. This last name derived from the Yiddish term 'Shapiro' which is believed to have originated from the Hebrew word "Sappir" meaning 'sapphire' or 'significant contributor', a term of respect or admiration. It's also possible the Yiddish term derived from the city of Speyer, Germany, which was a significant center of Jewish culture in the medieval period. The transformation to the 'Szapiro' spelling represents the adaptation of the name to Polish orthography, as 'sz' represents the 'sh' sound in Polish. So, Szapiro is mainly found among Jewish communities in Poland or those of Polish-Jewish descent. Overall, the name is synonymous with respect and admiration. However, surnames can have multiple origins, and these interpretations should not be considered as the only possible meanings.
Order DNA origin analysisSzapiro: Where does the name Szapiro come from?
The surname Szapiro is primarily associated with Central and Eastern European Jewish families. Currently, it is most commonly found in Israel, followed by Poland, the United States, Germany, and Argentina. Approximately 2,600 individuals worldwide are known to bear the surname, with the vast majority located in Israel.
In Israel, the majority of Szapiro families live in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, especially in the cities of Tel Aviv, Holon, Bat Yam, and Rishon LeTsion. Other prominent Israeli locations include Jerusalem, Haifa, Beersheba, Ashdod, and Netanya.
In the US, the surname is usually found in metropolitan areas with large Jewish populations, such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Smaller cities and suburbs with known Szapiro families include St. Louis, Missouri; the San Francisco Bay Area; and Miami, Florida.
In Europe, the surname is most commonly found in Germany, with the bulk of the families based in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich. Smaller numbers of individuals with the surname can be found in Belgium, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands.
Elsewhere, many families bearing the surname Szapiro live in Argentina, primarily in and aroundBuenos Aires—the city with the largest Jewish population in Latin America. Significant pockets of the surname can also be found in Brazil and Canada, mainly in cities with established Jewish communities.
Variations of the surname Szapiro
The surname Szapiro, also spelled Sapiro, Sapir and Zaepfel, is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, deriving from the Yiddish word shapir which means "honest" or "truthful". This surname is primarily found among Jewish families in Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania and Moldova, as well as within Jewish communities in other parts of the world, such as England, Argentina and the United States.
Variants of the surname Szapiro include Sapir, Sapiro, Zeepfel, Zaypfel, and Sapirie. These spellings were likely adopted as the family emigrated out of their ancestral homeland in search of a better life.
In some cases, Szapiro has evolved to Zepfel, Zeifel, or Zeifeler. This variation can also be attributed to emigration. Immigrant families often had difficulty accurately pronouncing and spelling their original name in a new language so they adapted it to meet the standards of the new language. With the shift in dialects and pronunciations, the spelling of the surname evolved.
Additionally, some families changed their surname to Zablud knocked this name down to avoid the discrimination they encountered due to their Jewish faith. The Surname Zablud may have been derived from the Yiddish word Zabludde, meaning “to cover up something” and serves to demonstrate the lengths the Jewish population went to in order to find a safer place to live.
Some individuals have taken on more modernized versions of this surname. Zapp can be considered a modified version of Szapiro, with the ‘z’ replacing the ‘sz’ at the beginning of the surname. Moreover, Zappier is a slang version of Szapiro, which is also derived from the Yiddish word shapir.
Famous people with the name Szapiro
- David Szapiro: a composer and songwriter from Argentina.
- Lorenzo Szapiro: Italian soccer player currently playing in Serie A.
- Nissim Szapiro: a diplomat who served as Israel's ambassador to the United States from 1994 to 2002.
- Carlos Szapiro: an Argentine actor.
- Flory Szapiro: a former field hockey player from France who competed in the Olympic Games in Munich 1972.
- Ephraim Szapiro: an American author who wrote the children's novel The Adventures of Jet and Tiger.
- Amos Szapiro: a philosopher and psychoanalyst from Poland.
- Maryla Szapiro: a Polish actress and theatre director.
- Daniel Szapiro: a former Israeli soldier and politician.
- Dov Ber Szapiro: a Russian engineer and mathematical analyst.