NameCensus.

UK surname

Shapiro

A habitational surname indicating someone from the town of Speyer in Germany, or from Sapir, Ukraine.

In the 1881 census there were 8 people recorded with the Shapiro surname, ranking it #32,581 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 478, ranked #10,329, up from #32,581 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St George in the East, Winwick and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barnet, Bury and Camden.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Shapiro is 481 in 2013. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 5875.0%.

1881 census count

8

Ranked #32,581

Modern count

478

2016, ranked #10,329

Peak year

2013

481 bearers

Map years

5

1901 to 2016

Key insights

  • Shapiro had 8 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #32,581 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 478 in 2016, ranked #10,329.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 344 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Shapiro surname distribution map

The map shows where the Shapiro surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Shapiro surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Shapiro over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1881 historical 8 #32,581
1891 historical 30 #31,889
1901 historical 166 #17,011
1911 historical 344 #10,386
1997 modern 422 #10,571
1998 modern 471 #10,048
1999 modern 463 #10,230
2000 modern 454 #10,360
2001 modern 435 #10,526
2002 modern 451 #10,429
2003 modern 439 #10,487
2004 modern 437 #10,557
2005 modern 424 #10,691
2006 modern 418 #10,861
2007 modern 425 #10,837
2008 modern 423 #10,975
2009 modern 434 #11,014
2010 modern 464 #10,633
2011 modern 462 #10,570
2012 modern 467 #10,384
2013 modern 481 #10,315
2014 modern 473 #10,509
2015 modern 475 #10,396
2016 modern 478 #10,329

Geography

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Where Shapiros are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St George in the East, Winwick, Govan Combination, London parishes and Manchester. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barnet, Bury and Camden. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 St George in the East London (East Districts)
2 Winwick Lancashire
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 London parishes London 3
5 Manchester Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barnet 037 Barnet
2 Bury 019 Bury
3 Barnet 014 Barnet
4 Barnet 032 Barnet
5 Camden 004 Camden

Forenames

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First names often paired with Shapiro

These lists show first names that appear often with the Shapiro surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Shapiro

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Shapiro, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Diverse Educated Urban Singles

Nationally, the Shapiro surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Shapiro household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group includes many never-married individuals not living with dependent children. Many were born in EU countries and are now aged between 25-44. This Group is characterised by its ethnic group diversity, although those identifying as Asian are not well represented. Affiliation with the Christian religion amongst residents is low. Reported disability rates are low. Neighbourhoods include some central locations in London and other major cities. Private renting is the norm, and there is some overcrowding. Many individuals are educated to degree level, and full-time employment is common, particularly in managerial and professional occupations.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

Professional Periphery

Within London, Shapiro is most associated with areas classed as Professional Periphery, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods predominantly house residents aged 45+, with many aged 85+. Most employed residents work in senior roles, and relatively few work in unskilled jobs. Terraced housing is comparatively rare, but communal living is more common. More residents identify as of Indian ethnicity and more affiliate with non-Christian religions. Disability levels are below the Supergroup average.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Shapiro is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Shapiro falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Shapiro is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Shapiro, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Shapiro

The surname Shapiro is a Jewish name that originated in Germany and Eastern Europe. It is derived from the German and Yiddish word "shap," meaning "to draw water," and the suffix "-er," implying an occupation. Therefore, the name likely referred to someone who drew water from a well or a river for their community.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 17th century in Germany and Poland. One notable early bearer of the name was Rabbi Shalom Shachna Shapiro, a renowned Talmudic scholar born in 1589 in Lublin, Poland. He was a student of the famous Rabbi Joel Sirkis and wrote several influential works on Jewish law.

In the 18th century, the name appeared in various records across Eastern Europe, including the 1784 census of the town of Pinsk (now in Belarus), which listed several families with the surname Shapiro.

As Jews migrated westward during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the name spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Muir Shapiro (1838-1919), a British lawyer and judge who served as the Lord Justice of Appeal and was knighted in 1901.

In the United States, the name became more prominent with the influx of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some famous Americans with the surname include:

1. Howard Shapiro (1912-2001), a Tony Award-winning theater producer and director. 2. Isaac Leeser Shapiro (1916-2008), a renowned physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project and later became a professor at Harvard University. 3. Dory Schary (born Isador Schary Shapiro, 1905-1980), a celebrated film director, producer, and screenwriter who won several Academy Awards. 4. Carl Shapiro (born 1955), an economist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, known for his work on antitrust and competition policy. 5. Mikhail Shapiro (born 1986), a Russian-American bioengineer and professor at the California Institute of Technology, known for his pioneering work in biomolecular imaging and nanomedicine.

While the name Shapiro is most commonly associated with the Jewish diaspora, it has also been adopted by non-Jewish individuals in various parts of the world, reflecting the diversity and cultural exchange that has shaped the evolution of surnames.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Shapiro families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Shapiro surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 5 Shapiros recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.47x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 5 6.47x
Middlesex 3 3.85x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Holy Trinity in Yorkshire leads with 5 Shapiros recorded in 1881 and an index of 268.82x.

Place Total Index
Holy Trinity 5 268.82x
Whitechapel London 3 389.61x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Shapiro surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Esta 2
Amelia 1
Esther 1
Victoria 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Shapiro surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Henry 1
Myno 1
Soloman 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Shapiro households.

FAQ

Shapiro surname: questions and answers

How common was the Shapiro surname in 1881?

In 1881, 8 people were recorded with the Shapiro surname. That placed it at #32,581 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Shapiro surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 478 in 2016. That gives Shapiro a modern rank of #10,329.

What does the Shapiro surname mean?

A habitational surname indicating someone from the town of Speyer in Germany, or from Sapir, Ukraine.

What does the Shapiro map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Shapiro bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.