During the times when people began to adopt second names to better identify themselves, one of the most common traditions for adopting surnames in Jewish culture was to assume a surname ornamentally, that is, choosing a name that is unrelated to the occupation or an ancestors' name. The surname Chapiro was likely an ornamental name derived from the Hebrew word "shapir," which means 'lovely'. It is also thought that some bearers of Chapiro derived their name from the German town Speyer, which had a large Jewish population in the Middle Ages.
Chapiro Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Shapiro, Schapiro, Shapero, Shapira, Chapiro, Szapiro, Szapira and many more.
