Safdie

Safdie is a surname of Jewish origin, often linked to toponymic roots from Safed (Tzfat), a historic city in the northern Levant region. While the name is associated with Jewish heritage, there is no single known lineage connecting all individuals who bear it.

Notable people with the surname include architect Moshe Safdie (born 1938), an Israeli-Canadian architect and founder of Safdie Architects. His work spans public housing, cultural institutions, and large-scale urban projects, with Habitat 67 in Montreal and the Marina Bay Sands complex in Singapore among his most prominent designs. Safdie has taught and lectured internationally and has influenced contemporary architectural practice through his interdisciplinary approach to urban spaces and housing.

Benny Safdie and Joshua Safdie (the Safdie brothers) are American filmmakers who collaborate as writers and directors. Their early work includes Daddy Longlegs (2009). They gained international attention with Good Time (2017) and achieved broader recognition with Uncut Gems (2019), a crime thriller starring Adam Sandler. The brothers are known for a kinetic, improvisational style, close-up cinematography, and character-driven storytelling, often exploring urban resilience and moral ambiguity.

The surname Safdie thus marks a diverse presence across architecture and film, with individuals contributing to both built environments and contemporary cinema. Related discussions may touch on the toponymic origins of Jewish surnames and the geographic distributions of families bearing the name.