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Surname list From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sfeir (Arabic: صفير) is a Maronite Christian clan surname from Lebanon, which appears with the highest density in the mountainous Keserwan District. As a result of the Lebanese diaspora, the name has flourished in North and South America, Western Europe, Australia, the Arabian peninsula, and west Africa.
Although there is no consensus agreement on the origin of the name, most scholars believe the name comes from the Arabic word for the color yellow or sulphur (aSfar), suggesting that clansmen wore yellow tunics or carried a yellow banner (during the Crusades, the flag of the Kingdom of Jerusalem consisted of a grid of yellow or gold crosses on a white background). Some say that it derives from the Arabic word for ambassador or mediator (see As-Safir). Still others indicate that it may derive from the Hebrew word for the gem stone sapphire (denoting perhaps jewelers or traders in gems). A few state that it may derive from the Arabic noun for whistling or singing, perhaps suggesting that the Sfeir may have been either archers or falconers (during the Crusades, the prelate and chronicler William of Tyre reported that the Maronites were well known for their prowess in archery).[1] In any case, the clan legend is that a Crusader King, most likely Godfrey of Bouillon, granted to the Sfeir clan a portion of what is today the Keserwan District of Mount Lebanon, which was the northern frontier of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, as a reward for their loyalty to his reign and bravery in battle. In the village of Kleiat, there is a convent, founded in the 17th century by chevalier Nader Sfeir, called the Convent of the Sfeir (Couvent des Sfeir).[2] To this day, the motto of Keserwan is "the Christians' Castle."
Members of the Sfeir clan have achieved prominence as clergymen [3] and women, scholars, artists, diplomats, businessmen and women, scientists, medical doctors, lawyers, civil engineers and architects, and other professions and trades.[4] People with the Sfeir surname (occasionally spelled Sfair in Latin script) include the following:
Within the Metn District near the city of Beirut, in the municipality of Sin el Fil, Horsh Tabet neighborhood, there is a street called Rue Georges Salim Sfeir.
In the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, in the municipality of Indaiatuba, there is a neighborhood called "Vila Sfeir."
Sfeir Architects, located in San Diego, California, is an architectural firm focusing on designing hospitals.
SFEIR Group is a French digital strategy and technological consulting firm founded in 1989 with headquarters in Paris and offices in Luxembourg, Lille, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Nantes, and Brusselles.
Sfeir Industries West Africa (SIWA) is a manufacturer of industrial kitchen and laundry equipment with headquarters in Lagos, Nigeria.
Sfeir Trading, based in Dubai, UAE, is a trading firm specializing in petroleum industry equipment and aviation industry inputs.
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