COOPER
The surname Cooper is an English occupational name whose earliest attestations date from the late twelfth century. It identifies an ancestor who was employed in the cooperage trade – the craft of making and repairing wooden vessels such as barrels, casks and tubs.
Etymologically, Cooper derives from the Middle English word couper, itself a borrowing from the Anglo‑Saxon and Germanic root kuper, which is related to the earlier Germanic term kup meaning “container”. The word entered English usage in the eighth century and was later recorded in various spellings, including le Cupere (1176) and le Copere (1181). The occupational sense remained stable throughout the medieval period, when barrel making was among the most important crafts.
Historical documents provide several early examples of the name. In the Pipe Rolls of Sussex (1176) a Robert le Cupere is listed, while the Norfolk record of Selide le Copere appears in 1181. Later entries include John Copper in the 1424 Friary Rolls of York and Richard Cooper of Ecclesfield, Yorkshire, dated 10 October 1562. The name crossed the Atlantic before the Mayflower, with Walter Cooper recorded in “The Muster of the Inhabitants of Virginia” in 1619.
During the centuries the surname has been confused with variants such as Cowper and Copper. In the latter cases the derivation may stem from the Old English coper, a loan‑word from the Cyprian cyprium meaning “bronze”, reflecting a parallel trade in metal containers. The family’s heraldic device consists of a silver field charged with three red martlets, surmounted by a red chief engrailed bearing three gold annulets.
Today the surname Cooper remains widespread throughout the United Kingdom and other English‑speaking nations, attesting to the durability of an occupational identifier that once described a vital craft within medieval society.
Typical given names associated with the Cooper surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Julie
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Cooper in...
Braille
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Cooper are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Shortbread.
There are approximately 132,729 people named Cooper in the UK. That makes it the 33rd most common surname in Britain. Around 2,038 in a million people in Britain are named Cooper.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Cooper
- Dominic Cooper - Actor
- Bradley Cooper - American actor, filmmaker and singer
- Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper - Singer, songwriter, actress, and television presenter
- Anderson Cooper - American journalist, television presenter and author
- Alice Cooper - American rock singer, songwriter and musician
- Tommy Cooper - Prop comedian and magician (1921 to 1984)
- Yvette Cooper - Politician
- Liam Cooper - Scottish football player
- JP Cooper - Singer and songwriter
- John Julius Cooper - Historian (1929 to 2018)
- Gladys Cooper - Actress (1888 to 1971)
- Henry Cooper - Boxer (1934 to 2011)
- Ray Cooper - Musician
- Steve Cooper - Welsh football player and manager
- Lady Diana Cooper - Social figure, actress and memoirist (1892 to 1986)
- John Cooper - Welsh serial killer, born 1944
- Gary Cooper - American actor (1901 to 1961)
- Adam Cooper - Ballet dancer
- Claire Cooper - Actress
- Scott Cooper - England football player and manager
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.