There are at several possible sources of the Sapeta surname including: 1) indigenous - from the Polish verb sapać (to gasp, be out of breath), in which case sapeta, sapacz, sapała, sapak, sapaka, sapuś, sapol and probably a few more would be colloquial for gasper (someone who breathes heavily, wheezes, gasps for air, etc.); 2) Indigenous toponymic nickname from such Polish localities as Sapy, Sapice or Sapałówka (Gasperville, Wheezeton); and 3) The Iberian (Portuguese) connection already mentioned in this forum. Occasionally Polish names coincide with those of different nationalities but mean something totally different, eg Posada (in Polish -- a prestigious, good-paying position, in Spanish -- an inn).
It cannot be ruled out that different Sapetas got their name from different sources. There are additional sources of this surname as well.
