Zipporah is derived from the Hebrew צִפוֹרָה, Tsippōrāh, “bird.” It is the name of the wife of Moses in the Book of Exodus. The name was often transliterated from the Greek as Sephora.

Pronounced ZIP-pe-ruh in English (kind of rhymes with Deborah), it was first used by Protestant non-Jews in the English speaking world in the 16th-century. Both Zipporah but more often Sephora were occasionally used in 16th-century England and Colonial America.

Zipporah has always been a popular name in the Jewish diaspora, which has spun-off some colourful offshoots. A favorite among Ashkenazi Jews since Medieval Times, it is the inspiration of the Yiddish name, Faigel, which is from the Yiddish פֿויגל (foigl) meaning “bird.” Pre-Yiddish Knaanic Jews of Slavic lands, particularly in Poland used Sójka (blue jay) as a vernacular form. Due to its similar sound, European-Jews also used Cypriana as a form of Zipporah though the names have no etymological relation.

The name of the cosmetic store was named in reference to Moses’ wife.

Other forms include:

• Safura, Safrawah صفورا (Arabic)
• Səfurə (Azeri)
• Zipora (Breton, German)
• Sèfora (Catalan)
• Sipóra (Czech)
• Sippora (Dutch, Finnish, Scandinavian)
• Séphora, Zéphora (French)
• Zippora (German)
• Sepphora Σεπφώρα (Biblical Greek)
• Tziporah, Tziporrah צִפּוֹרָה (Modern Hebrew)
• Cipora, Cippóra (Hungarian)
• Sefora (Italian)
• Chipora (Judeo Anglo-Norman)
• Cipiora, Çapora (Ladino)
• Seffora (Latin)
• Ṣaffūrah (Malay)
• Cippora, Cyppora, Sefora (Polish)
• Séfora (Portuguese, Spanish)
• Zípora (Portuguese)
• Sepfora Сепфора επφώρα (Russian, Modern Greek)
• Zipóra (Spanish)
• Cypojra, Cypra (Polish-Yiddish)
• Bayerle (Medieval Judeo-German)
• Beverlin, Beverle, Böverle, Böverlin (Medieval Judeo-German)
• Paye, Payerlayn, Payerl, Payerle, Payerlin (Medieval Judeo-German)
• Pura, Pure, Purlin (Yiddish)
• Tsipere, Tsipoyre, Tsipure, Tsipor, Tsipur (Yiddish)
• Tsiporlin (Yiddish)

Popular diminutive forms are Zippy and Tsipi

Sources

• https://heraldry.sca.org/names/jewish.html
• https://www.behindthename.com/name/zipporah
• https://www.behindthename.com/name/faigel
• https://www.s-gabriel.org/names/juetta/nav_intro.html