Literally "mirror" in German, the
Jewish family name Spiegel related to someone involved in mirror
making or selling. It also can be traced to a house sign in the
German city of Frankfurt am Main picturing a mirror.
The form Spiegel is documented in
Frankfurt am Main in the 16th century. The variant Szpiegel is the
Polish spelling of the same name, the "z" being added in order to
preserve the original German sound of "sh". The family name Spiegel,
in its various variants, is documented in all Eastern European
countries: Spiegel (Hungary), Spighel (Romania), Ukraine, Lithuania
etc.
Distinguished bearers of these family
names include the Czech educator and senator,
Ludwig Spiegel (1864-1926); the Bukovinian-born 20th
century American theologian Shalom
Spiegel, the Polish-born 20th-century American film
producer, Samuel P. Spiegel; the German journalist and community
leader Paul Spiegel (1937-2006);
and the 20th-century Austrian-born American physician and
professor of colloid chemistry, Mona Spiegel-Adolf.
