Shapiro
A Jewish surname most often explained as a variant of Speyer, the German city name, carried by families from the Rhineland and beyond.
The #1,469 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,687 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Shapiro is widely regarded as a Jewish surname tied to the German city of Speyer (Yiddish Shpire/Shapiro), one of the best-known Ashkenazi family-name sources. In this view, the name began as a locational identifier meaning someone from Speyer, a city long associated with medieval Jewish settlement. The form was adapted through Yiddish and local German pronunciation, producing spellings such as Shapiro and Shapira.
History
The surname became common among Ashkenazi Jewish families, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, as hereditary surnames spread in the modern period. It traveled widely through migration, particularly into the United States and other English-speaking countries. A related form, Shapira, is especially common in Israel and among families from the same broader tradition.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Speyer was one of the three famous medieval Rhine cities often linked with the Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora, along with Worms and Mainz.