Origin of the name Shapiro

Shapiro is one of the most well-known Jewish family names. This name is exclusively of ashkenazic origin. At first it is mentioned in the written chronicles in the end of the 14-th century in France.

There are two versions of the origin of this name. The first version is of purely linguistic origin and strange as it is, it is taken by the minority of the researchers. It says that the name Shapiro came the Hebrew word "shapir" that means "pleasant, beautiful, correct".

The second and much more wide spread between the researchers version speaks of the origin of this name by the geogrpahic principle - from the name of the town Ashpaier in Bavaria. Indeed one of the first written mentionings of this name is connected with the towm Ashpaier (Shpaier).

The famous rabbi Shmuel Shapiro was once the rabbi of all France and of Bavarian town Shpaier. It is him who as many researchers say was at the origin of the clan Shapiro. In this case, in favor of the first version we may only note that it is not excluded at all that rabbi Shmuel was first called "Shapiro" (that is beautiful or pleasant) and only later he became the rabbi of the town Shpaier.

In any case, all researchers, both in favor of the first and of the second versions, agree on one thing - all people belonging to this family belong to the clan of Cohens. People having many changed versions of this family name also belong to this clan - Sapir, Sapira, Spira, Spiro, Spirke, Shapir, Shpiron etc. We think that all people having this family name should pay attention to this. Or at least study carefully the Jewish laws. Because the status of Cohens in Judaism is special, they have very definite rights and duties.

Starting from the beginning of the 16-th century many members of this clan served as rabbis in the town Shpaier and in the Rhein Bavaria; some branches lived in Germany, Bohemia, Galicia and Poland. One of the first people with this name in Poland was rabbi of Grodno - Nathan Shapira (he died in 1577).

Originally, as Brokgauz and Efron claim this family name was Ahkenazi. Apparently having settled in Shpaier they received their name. Many high-level Jewish families from Bohemia had double names Frankl-Spiro, Wiener-Spiro, Porges-Spiro.

The following members of the Shapiro family in the 16-th century stand out:

• Isaac ben David Cohen Shapira - rabbi who lived in Krakov where he died in 1582;
• Menahem-Tzion ben Meir Shapira, author of a kabbalistic commentary for the Torah with a poetic introduction in honor of Shabat;
• Nathan-Nata Shapira rabbi of the town Grodno, where he died in 1577 - author of commentaries to Rashi and the Torah.

The following people lived in the 17-th century:

• Israel-Issahar Shapira (son of Nathan-Nata Shapira) - rabbi of the town Worms; he died there in 1630.
• Aaron-Shimon Shapira (1599-1679); was a rabbi in Lublin, Krakov, Vienna and Prague, was known by an ascetic lifestyle and school.
• Nathan-Nata Shapira, son of Reuben David Shapira - an outstanding kabbalist, rabbi and commentator; was born about 1584, died in Redgio (Italy) in 1662. In 1617 was a rabbi of Krakov and the rector of rabbinical school.
• Solomon Shapira - rabbi, son of Nathan-Nata Shapira, was born in 1616. He was killed by the Hmelnitsky kazaks in 1648 in Satanov where he was a rabbi.
• Israel ben-Nathan Shapira (also Israel ha-Darshan) - a talmudist, rabbi and preacher, died in 1700. Already when yound he was appointed a rabbi in Kalish where he established a soon-to-become-famous school that produced many well-known pupils.
• Yakov ben David ha-Cohen Shapira - a rabbi and writer who lived in the end of 17 and beginning of 18 centuries, his children - Moisei-Mihel and Isaac.
• Yakov-Kon Shapira - a commentator who lived in the 17-th century in Lemberg (Lvov).
• Nathan ben-Isaac Shapira - a rabbi and kabbalist, he died in Lublin in 1652; he edited and published Zohar (Lublin 1623) with his own commentary.
• Eliyahu Shapira - a commentator; died in Prague in 1712; he was a rabbi in Tiktin, after that he managed a large yeshiva in Prague; he created "Eliyahu Zuta" - a commentary to "Lebusch" by Mordechay Yaffe (Prague, 1689-1701).
• Isaac Shapira (died in 1711) - a talmudist.
• Aryeh-Leib Shapira (also called Klein Löb), son of Isaac Shapira - rabbi and commentator; he was born in 1701; died in Vilna in 1761; he was famous as a mathematician and an expert in the Hebrew grammar.
• Iuda-Leb Shapira, also known as Rar, he lived in the end of 17 and beginning of the 18 centuries - a rabbi (apparently in Frankfurt-on-Maine).
  

In the 19-th century this clan was continued also by members of hasidism. Pinhas Shapiro, a pupil of the famous Besht and of rebbe Dov-Ber, was at the root of a well-known hasidic family of tzadiks and typographists. He was a tzadik in the shtetl of Korets. His son, rebe Moshe ben Pinhas Shapiro was a rabbi and a tzadik in Slavuty where in 1810 he published the first Slavuty edition of the Talmud.

Yet another edition of Talmud was started by his sons - rebbe Pinhas and rebbe Samuil-Abba Shapira in 1830 but it was stopped because of disasters that happend to the sons. As the Jewish encyclopedia points out - "They were accused of killing their worker who was found dead. The Shapira typography was under strict police watching already before and their activity was presented by the enlightment activists to the government from a specific angle. An investigation was started and as a result both brothers were accused of murder and sentenced to punishment by whip and banishing to Siberia, while their typography was closed. The elder brother died in Siberia, while the younger one was released after that and died in 1863. The Shapira typography activity was renewed only long time after by the grandchildren of rebbe Moisei (Moshe) Shapira - rebbe Hanina Lipa and rebbe Yehoshua Heshel Shapira who moved it to Zhitomir".