Sfeir

Sfeir (Arabic: صفير) is a Maronite Christian clan surname from Lebanon. There is no consensus agreement on the origin of the name. Some scholars have said it is derived from the Arabic for ambassador or mediator. Others say that it derives from the Arabic word for the color yellow (or sulphur) and perhaps 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). Still others indicate that it may derive from the Hebrew word for the gem stone saphhire (denoting perhaps jewelers or traders in gems). A few even state that it comes from the Arabic noun for whistling or singing, suggesting that the Sfeir may have been either archers or falconers. In any case, the clan legend is that a Crusader King granted to the Sfeir clan a portion of what is today the Keserwan District of Mount Lebanon as a reward for their loyalty to his reign and bravery in battle. To this day, the motto of Keserwan is "the Christians' Castle." Some of the people with the Sfeir surname (ocassionally spelled Sfair in Latin script) include the following:

• Pietro Sfair (1888-1974), archbishop of the Maronite Catholic Church and council father at the Second Vatican Council
• Rafael Sfair ( ), Lebanese-Brazilian astrophysicist from Sao Paulo, an asteroid is named in his honor
• Abdallah Sfeir ( ), Lebanese civil engineer, former Dean of the School of Engineering & Architecture at Lebanese American University
• Agnel Sfeir (born 1983?), Lebanese-American chromosome biologist, cancer researcher, med school academic
• Alfredo Sfeir (born 1947), Chilean economist, spiritual leader and healer
• Amin Sfeir (1932-2002), Lebanese fine art painter, president Reyfoun municipality, Said Akl Prize (1964)
• Andree Sfeir-Semler (born 1953), Lebanese-German art historian and gallery owner
• Antoine Sfeir (1948–2018), Franco-Lebanese journalist and professor
• Boudy Sfeir ( ), Lebanese movie director, screenwriter, and animator
• Carlos Sfeir ( ), Lebanese-Nigerian Chairman of SIWA, maker of industrial kitchen & laundry equipment
• Carmen Sfeir Yacir ( ), Brazilian-Chilean lawyer specializing in arbitration & dispute resolution
• Charles Sfeir ( ), French-American dentist and periodontal surgeon
• Christer Sfeir ( ), Lebanese-Swedish civil engineer and project manager for large infrastructure
• Claude Sfeir (1962). Lebanese jeweler, watch collector & jury member of Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve
• Dahd Sfeir (1932–2015), Uruguayan actress, winner of Helen Hayes Prize
• Denise Sfeir (1962), Miss Lebanon beauty queen 1980
• Eliane Sfeir (1975), Lebanese-Canadian senior civil servant, Government of Quebec
• Elias Sfeir, ( ), Brazilian financial executive, executive president of Assoc. Nac. Bureaus de Crédito
• Emilio Sfeir (1898-1970), hero of Bolivian counter espionage against Paraguay during the Chaco War
• Emily Georgette Sfeir ( ), American graduate of West Point Military Academy, officer United States Army
• Fernando Sfeir ( ), Argentine hotelier and president of Argentina-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce
• Francisca Sfeir ( ), Chilean actress and TV personality
• Georges Sfeir ( ), Lebanese-Danish economist and academic researcher
• Hermanas Sfeir Saga ( ), trilogy of romance novels written in Spanish by Venezuelan author Bella Hayes
• Isabelle Hernu-Sfeir ( ), Franco-Suisse chief executive for employee benefits & retirement consultancy
• Jacqueline Sfeir (1956–2013), Palestinian educator and academic
• Jerome Sfeir ( ), American geothermal engineer
• Khalid Sfeir ( ), Lebanese-Egyptian lawyer and law professor
• Matthew Sfeir ( ), American chemical physicist and inventor of thin-film optical devices & solar cells
• Mauricio González Sfeir (born 1956), Bolivian petroleum company executive and football soccer promoter
• Mona Nicole Sfeir ( ), American poet and visual artist
• Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir (1920–2019), cardinal and patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church
• Paul Sfeir (1965), Chilean engineer, radio journalist, politician (Constitutional council)
• Raymond Sfeir ( ), American economist, university professor and academic administrator
• Rolando Sfeir ( ), Argentine basketball player and coach, member of Argentina national team in 1973
• Rony Sfeir ( ), Lebanese-French medical doctor, pediatric surgeon and medical researcher
• Salim Sfeir (born 1944), Lebanese – Swiss banker and financier
• Samir Sfeir (born 1961), Lebanese composer and record producer
• Sfeir Architects ( ), American architectural firm in San Diego, California specializing in hospitals
• Sfeir Bancorp Limited ( ), Cyprus bank holding company
• Sfeir company ( ), French digital strategy and technological consulting firm
• Sfeir Industries ( ) Nigerian industrial kitchen and laundry equipment maker & distributor
• Sfeir Trading ( ), Dubai trading company in pipeline products, commodities, and aviation equipment
• Selina Sfeir ( ), United Kingdom medical doctor, academic and ovarian cancer researcher
• Selim Jean Sfeir (born 1958), Maronite Catholic Archbishop of Cyprus
• Vanessa Sfeir ( ), Brazilian judge, Sao Paulo civil court
• Yaneth Sfeir Turbay ( ), Colombian lawyer, legal advisor to executive branch of national government
• Zeina Sfeir (born 1974), Lebanese-Dubai documentary film maker and actress
• Zeina Sfeir Lahoud, Lebanese-Dubai pharmaceuticals distribution company executive