Shapira Last Name: Meaning and Heraldic Roots

In parish registers, Shapira often stands in for Shapiro. Read literally, Shapira points to “From Speyer”.

Shapira coat of arms

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Shapiro surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon.

Spelling and variants

Before spelling was fixed, Shapiro was also written Shapira. Before spelling was standardised, one family could appear under several forms. You may also find the name written Schapiro, Saphir and Spiro.

About 387 people in the United States were recorded as Shapira in 2010, placing it 53,419 on the national list. It sits among the 100,000 most common last names in the country. Research your Shapira family history with a full surname report and painted coat of arms.