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'''Spira''' is a surname with a variety of origins. In Germany, the surname Spira originated as a corruption of [[Speyer]], the name of a town in the [[Rhineland]].
{{TOCright}}
'''Shapiro''', '''Shapira''', '''Spira''', '''Spiro''', and other spelling variations (שפירא in Hebrew), are [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] [[Jewish family name]]s derived from [[Speyer]], one of the [[ShUM-cities]] in [[Germany]], south of [[Mannheim]] on the [[Rhine]] river.


The surname found particular historical significance among the [[Ashkenazi Jews|Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe]], with many notable Rabbis claiming this name. The [[History of the Jews in Speyer|Spira family]] directly descends from 11th century rabbi [[Rashi]], and therefore is in the [[Davidic line]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE "RASHI" LEGACY (Kalonymos, Treves, Luria and Spira Families) genealogy project |url=https://www.geni.com/projects/THE-RASHI-LEGACY-Kalonymos-Treves-Luria-and-Spira-Families/56 |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=geni_family_tree |language=en-US}}</ref> Additionally, the [[Baal Shem Tov]], the founder of [[Hasidic Judaism|Hassidic Judaism]], is said to have claimed that the Spira family is one of three pure lineages of among the [[Jewish nation]] (being [[Israelites]]), the others being the [[Horowitz family|Horowitz]] family (who are [[Levite|Levites]]) and the [[Rappaport family|Rappaport]] family (who are [[Kohen|Kohanim]]).<ref>Dynner, Glenn (1997). "[https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp01/MQ37203.pdf Yikhus and the Early Hasidic Movement]" (PDF). Department of Jewish Studies at McGiII University.</ref>
The name of the Roman settlement ''Speyer'' in the original Latin was ''Spira'' (whence ''spiral'') meaning "helmet straps" or "coiled snake." In [[Yiddish]], the name was pronounced ''Shpeira''. Over time and with various regional linguistic influences (Polish, Hungarian, Czech, etc), variations such as ''Szpiro'' and ''Schapira'' emerged.


Spira is one of a number of Jewish surnames that originated in Speyer, including Spiro, Shapira, and [[Shapiro]].
== Spellings ==
Alternate spellings include:
* Shapiro, Schapiro, Szapiro
* Sapira, Sapiro, Sapir, Saperia
* Shapira, Shapera, Schapira, Szapira
* Spira, Spiro, Shpeira, Szpeiro
* Speier, Speyer, Shpire, Spire


Notable people with this name include:
The various spellings are sometimes used interchangeably in genealogical records, due to the nearly identical [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] spelling, שפירא.


==Surname==
== History and etymology ==
* [[Camilla Spira]] (1906–1997), German film actress
According to rabbinic tradition, the Jewish community of Speyer originated in the time of the [[Roman Empire]], and earliest Rhenish records go as far back as 1084, when the Bishop of Speyer invited Jews to settle there with the offer of special protections [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1084landjews.html]. Although Speyer (along with nearby [[Worms, Germany|Worms]] and [[Mainz]]), was one of the most important centers of trade and scholarship for [[Ashkenazi Jews|Ashkenazi]] Jews since their arrival to that region in the 10th century and through the [[Middle Ages]], it was also a place where the Jews experienced severe, non-stop persecution from their non-Jewish neighbors and local rulers. Starting with the infamous massacre of 1096 during the [[First Crusade]], and throughout much of the 12th to 15th centuries, the Jews of Speyer were variously murdered, tortured, forcibly baptized, kidnapped for ransom or expelled, with only intermittent periods of protection from regional authorities and clergy. After a long series of expulsions and massacres, particularly during the period of 1349 to 1435 (in the wake of the Plague), the community had completely dissolved. There was a brief renewal of the Speyer Jewish Community in the late 19th century, but virtually all members of the community were deported to concentration camps in 1940 by the [[Nazis]]. Since the name derives from an area, not all Shapiros are related.
* [[Chaim Elazar Spira]] (1868–1937), Polish Orthodox rabbi
* [[Elijah Spira]] (1660–1712), Czech rabbi
* [[Ella Spira]], English composer
* [[Fred Spira]] (1924–2007), American photography innovator
* [[Fritz Spira]] (1881–1943), Austrian actor
* [[Harry Spira]] (died c. 2009), Australian veterinarian
* [[Henry Spira]] (1927–1988), animal rights activist
* [[Howard Spira]] (born 1959), American gambler and mobster
* [[Joel Spira]] (born 1981), Swedish actor
* [[Joel Spira (businessman)]] (1927–2015), American inventor and businessman
* [[Jonathan Spira]] (born 1961), American researcher and industry analyst
* [[Julie Spira]], American author and media personality
* [[Lotte Spira]] (1883–1943), German actress
* [[Michael Spira]] (born 1944), British medical doctor
* [[Nathan Nata Spira]] (1585–1633), Polish rabbi and kabbalist
* [[Phyllis Spira]] (1943–2008), South African ballet dancer
* [[Rupert Spira]] (born 1960), English studio potter
* [[Steffie Spira]] (1908–1995), Austrian-born German actress
* [[Thomas Spira]] (1923–2005), Canadian historian
* [[Yisroel Spira]] (1889–1989), Polish-American rabbi


==Given name==
Those Jews who took on the name Spira, Shapira, etc. were most probably among the survivors of the earlier persecutions (ie, prior to the 14th or 15th centuries). These Jews settled across [[Eastern Europe]], including [[Bavaria]], [[Bohemia]], [[Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia]], and [[Poland]]. In central Europe, the name Spiro ("of Spire") appears in records as early as the 16th century.
* [[Spira Grujić]] (born 1971), Serbian football defender


== Alternative etymologies ==
== See also ==
*[[Spyra]]
=== שפירא ("good" or "pretty") ===
*[[Spera (disambiguation)|Spera]]
{{Unreferenced|date=February 2007}}
*[[Spiro (name)]]
Another meaning to the name is from the [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] word שפירא ("good" or "pretty"), which is the same in modern-day Chaldean, and is pronounced ''shapiro'', wherein it has the same meaning as the Yiddish-based names ''Fine'', or ''Fein'' and the Hebrew-based ''Yoffe'', ''Jaffe'' (יופה). Thus, the family name is a play on the name of the town, or the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] word. It is contended by some scholars that the Jews of Speyer took the surname as a memorial to their origin, which they fled in 1096 after many were massacred by [[Crusades|Crusaders]] on their way to [[Jerusalem]].
*[[Spira (car)]]
*[[Spira Culture Center]]
*[[Shapiro]], main article on Ashkenazi surname having Spira as a variant
*[[Jewish surname]]


=== Sapphire ===
==References==
<references />
{{Unreferenced|date=February 2007}}
There is another, more arcane etymology, which claims that "Speyer" is derived from the Old [[High German]] word for "Sapphire" or "star stone", referring not to the gem but to the [[lapis lazuli]] (in Hebrew ספיר, pronounced "sapir"). By this interpretation, it is alleged that a group of Jews from the tribe of [[Issachar]], who are represented in Jewish tradition by the lapis, migrated to the area later named Speyer along with [[Roman legion]]s, and remained after the legions withdrew. This allegation is buttressed by the fact that the Jewish Quarter ([[ghetto]]) of Speyer is in an area of the town that would indicate an early settlement. Therefore, by this theory, it is the town which was named after the tribe, and not vice-versa. This would also explain the connection between the name "Shapiro" and the name "Saperstein". The connection with שפיר is explained as a linguistic association of the stone with beauty. None of this latter theory has been verified beyond longstanding discussion in the [[Talmud]] and other parabiblical sources dating from the period before the Roman decimation of the Jewish state circa 70 CE.


{{given name|type=both}}
== Famous people ==
=== Famous rabbis ===
A number of prominent [[Hassidic]] [[rabbi]]s had the family name Spira or Shapira.


[[Category:Yiddish-language surnames]]
One of the most famous of these was Rabbi [[Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Dinov]] (1783–1841), author of ''B'nei Yissaschar'', founder of both the [[Bluzhov]] and [[Munkacz]] Hasidic dynasties which continue until today after 6+ generations. Two of his notable descendants include:
[[Category:Surnames of Jewish origin]]
* ..his grandson, Rabbi [[Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Bluzhov]] (1841–1924), the famed '''Bluzhover Rebbe''' who was also called the '''Tzvi Latzaddik'''.
* ..on a separate family branch, his great-great grandson, Rabbi [[Chaim Elazar Shapiro]] (actually spelled "Shapira") of Munkacz (1871–1937), the '''Munkatcher Rebbe''', aka the '''Minchat Elazar'''.

Other prominent Hassidic rabbis with this name (although not directly related to the above-mentioned family) include:
* Rabbi [[Kalonymus Kalman Shapira of Piasetzno]] (1889–1943)
* Rabbi [[Moshe Spira of Sadigora]] (1904–1988)
* Rabbi Yehuda [[Meir Shapiro]] of Lublin (1887–1933)

;Shapiro
* [[Adam Shapiro]], American activist
* [[Alex Shapiro]], American composer
* [[Anatoly Shapiro]], Russian-American artist
* [[Arthur K. Shapiro]], psychiatrist and expert on the [[Tourette syndrome]] (1923–1995)
* [[Ascher H. Shapiro]], MIT professor and expert in the [[Fluid Dynamics]] (1916–2004)
* [[Ben Shapiro]], conservative American political columnist
* [[Bernard Shapiro]], academic, civil servant
* [[Beth Shapiro]], evolutionary biologist
* [[Carol Harris-Shapiro]], Reconstructionist rabbi
* [[Chaim Elazar Shapiro]], rabbi
* [[Charles S. Shapiro]], American diplomat
* [[Christian Shapiro]], American writer
* [[Darin Shapiro]], American wakeboarder
* [[David Shapiro]], American poet
* [[David Shapiro]], American documentary maker, (Keep the River on Your Right), brother of Laurie Gwen Shapiro
* [[Ehud Shapiro]], scientist
* [[Elisha Shapiro]], American politician
* [[Eric Shapiro]], American writer
* [[Florence Shapiro]], American politician
* [[Garry Shapiro]], engineer, psychonaut
* [[Harold S. Shapiro]], mathematics professor
* [[Harold T. Shapiro]], American university president
* [[Harvey Shapiro]]
* [[Helen Shapiro]], British singer
* [[Ian Shapiro]]
* [[Ilya Pyatetskii-Shapiro]], mathematician
* [[Irwin I. Shapiro]], astrophysicist
* [[Jacob Shapiro]], [[Jewish]] [[Mobster]]
* [[James Shapiro]], director of the ''Clinical Islet Transplant Program'' at the [[University of Alberta]]
* [[James S. Shapiro]], professor of English and Comparative Literature at [[Columbia University]] and non-fiction author
* [[Jeff Shapiro]]
* [[Jeffrey Shapiro]]
* [[Jeremy Shapiro]]
* [[Jeremy J. Shapiro]]
* [[Jim Shapiro (drummer)|Jim Shapiro]], musician ([[Veruca Salt (band)|Veruca Salt]])
* [[Joel Shapiro]]
* [[Jonathan Shapiro]]
* [[Justine Shapiro]]
* [[Karl Jay Shapiro]], United States poet
* [[Laurie Gwen Shapiro]], American novelist (Matzo Ball Heiress)and filmmaker (Keep the River on Your Right)
* [[Linda Hopkins Shapiro]]
* [[Mark Shapiro]], general manager of the [[Cleveland Indians]] baseball team
* [[Meir Shapiro]], Orthodox rabbi
* [[Mendel Shapiro]]
* [[Meyer Shapiro]]
* [[Michael Shapiro]]
* [[Michael G. Shapiro]]
* [[Michael J. Shapiro]]
* [[Neal Shapiro]]
* [[Norman Shapiro]], mathematician
* [[Paul Shapiro]]
* [[Rashi Shapiro]], Orthodox rabbi, Jewish folk-rock musician, psychologist
* [[Refael Shapiro]], Orthodox rabbi
* [[Robert Shapiro]], celebrity defense lawyer
* [[Robert J. Shapiro]], economist
* [[Sam Shapiro]]
* [[Saul Shapiro]]
* [[Sidney Shapiro]]
* [[Stanley J. Shapiro]]
* [[Steve Shapiro]]
* [[Stewart Shapiro]], philosopher
* [[Sumner Shapiro]], Director of US [[Office of Naval Intelligence|Naval Intelligence]], 1978–1982
* [[Ted Shapiro]]
* [[Theodore Shapiro]]
* [[William Shapiro]], noted government attorney

=== Other ===
;Spira/Spiro
* [[Aaron Jehiel Michel Spira]]:
* [[Aaron Simeon Spira]]:
* [[Aryeh Löb Spira]] (called also Klein Löb):
* [[Asher Anshel Spira]]:
* [[Benjamin Wolf Spira]]:
* [[Elijah Spira]]:
* [[Isaac Spira]]:
* [[Isaac Kohen-Spira]]:
* [[Isaac ben Nathan Spira]]:
* [[Israel Issachar Spira]]:
* [[Israel ben Nathan Spira]] (known also as [[Israel ha-Darshan]]):
* [[Jacob ben David ha-Kohen Spira]]:
* [[Jacob Kohn-Spira]]:
* [[Judah Löb Spira]] (nicknamed [[Pap]]):
* [[Menahem Zion b. Meïr Spira]]:
* [[Nathan ben Isaac Spira]]:
* [[Nathan Nata Spira]]:
* [[Solomon Spira]]:
* [[Harry Spira]]
* [[Philip Spira]], American computer scientist
* [[Eugen Spiro]] (''Eugene Spiro''), German painter
* [[György Spiró]], Hungarian writer
* [[Harry Spira]]
* [[Karl Spiro]], German physicist
* [[Melford Spiro]], American anthropologist

There are also a number of variant spellings of this name, generally with the same pronunciation:
;Schapiro
* [[Alexander Schapiro]], see [[:de:Alexander Schapiro|German article]]
* [[J. Salwyn Schapiro]]
* [[Leonard Schapiro]], British historian
* [[Meyer Schapiro]]
* [[Alexander Grothendieck]] (father's name was ''Schapiro'')

;Shapira
* [[Anita Shapira]]
* [[Avraham Shapira]], rabbi
* [[Berechiah Berak ben Isaac Eisik Shapira]], 17th-century rabbi
* [[David Shapira]]
* [[Moshe Shmuel Shapira]], rabbi
* [[Moses Shapira]]
* [[Moses Wilhelm Shapira]]

;Schapira
* [[Pierre Lionel Georges Schapira]]

;Shapero
* [[Harold Shapero]]

A number of other names have been derived from '''Shapiro''':

*[[André Spire]]
*[[Afrikan Spir]]
*[[Edward Sapir]] (although there is a possibility of ''Sapirstein/sappirstein'' = [[sapphire]])

;Szapiro
Origins from [[Vilnius]] (a.k.a. Vilna)

== Similar sounding but unrelated names ==
* [[Spiro]] / [[Spiras]] ([[Greek language|Greek]])
* [[Saphir]]/[[Sapphire]]

== References ==
*''Contemporary Sages: the Great Chasidic Masters of the Twentieth Century'' (Avraham Yaakov Finkel, 1994)
*{{JewishEncyclopedia}} ([http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1017&letter=S])

== Further reading ==
* [[Munkacz (Hasidic dynasty)]]
* Isaac ben Asher (haLevi?) of Speyer (11th century, one of the [[Tosafists]])
* Reb Kalonymos ben Reb Yosef haKatan mi'''Shpeira'''[http://www.saperia.com/Pages/name.htm]

== External links ==
* [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/1084landjews.html Bishop of Speyer: Grant of Lands & Privileges to the Jews, 1084] (from the [[Internet Medieval Sourcebook]])
* [http://www.jgs-online.de/html/bethhatefutsoth.html Beth Hatefutsoth]
* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1003&letter=S Jewish Encyclopedia]
* [http://www.speyer.de/de/tourist/sehenswert/judenhof?switch_language=en Speyer Tourism : Jewish Quarter] (The [[Mikveh]] of Speyer [http://www.speyer.de/de/tourist/sehenswert/judenhof/mikwe], is one of the oldest existing Jewish ritual baths in Europe)
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20091026213238/http://ca.geocities.com/spirope/spirofam.htm The Spiro Family of Gemzse in Hungary]
* [http://spielberg.bildung-rp.de/Todestransporx.htm list of Jews from Speyer who were deported or survived Holocaust]
* [http://www.ics.uci.edu/~dan/genealogy/Miller/ndex.htm Massive family tree with lots of Spiras] including R. Tzvi Elimelach Spira of Dinov (B'nei Yissachar) as "Hersh Mylech Spira"

{{Hndis|Spir}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spira (Family Name)}}
[[Category:Surnames]]
[[Category:Jewish families]]
[[Category:Jewish history]]
[[Category:Orthodox rabbis]]
[[Category:Onomastics]]

[[de:Shapiro]]
[[fr:Shapiro]]
[[he:שפירא]]
[[ja:シャピロ]]
[[pt:Shapiro]]
[[ru:Шапиро]]

Latest revision as of 20:53, 27 September 2024

Spira is a surname with a variety of origins. In Germany, the surname Spira originated as a corruption of Speyer, the name of a town in the Rhineland.

The surname found particular historical significance among the Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe, with many notable Rabbis claiming this name. The Spira family directly descends from 11th century rabbi Rashi, and therefore is in the Davidic line.[1] Additionally, the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hassidic Judaism, is said to have claimed that the Spira family is one of three pure lineages of among the Jewish nation (being Israelites), the others being the Horowitz family (who are Levites) and the Rappaport family (who are Kohanim).[2]

Spira is one of a number of Jewish surnames that originated in Speyer, including Spiro, Shapira, and Shapiro.

Notable people with this name include:

Surname

[edit]

Given name

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "THE "RASHI" LEGACY (Kalonymos, Treves, Luria and Spira Families) genealogy project". geni_family_tree. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
  2. ^ Dynner, Glenn (1997). "Yikhus and the Early Hasidic Movement" (PDF). Department of Jewish Studies at McGiII University.
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