COPAS
Copas is a surname of English origin, first documented in the late twelfth century. The name appears in the Pipe Roll Records of Kent for the year 1199, where it is recorded as Walter Cape. The earliest mention sits within the reign of King Richard I, known as the Lionheart (1189‑1199).
The etymology of Copas is multifaceted. One derivation links the name to the medieval given name “Cobbe”, a diminutive of Jacobus or Jacob, the Christian saint whose name was frequently adopted in England. From this, Copas would have originally denoted the family of a person bearing the name Cobbe.
Another explanation associates Copas with an occupational role. The surname may have arisen as the designation of a cup‑bearer, a person who served drinks at feasts or banquets. A parallel theory holds that Copas was applied to an individual who made or sold cups, a conclusion drawn from the Middle English word “cop” (coming from Old English *copp*), meaning “cup” or “goblet”. The same root is also found in the Old French word copass, which also translates as “cup” or “goblet”.
Topographical and locational sources also point to a distinct line of the surname. In the 12th century northern county of Northumberland, the name may have derived from the word “cope”, meaning “a long cloak or cape”, giving the sense of a maker of cloaks and capes. Alternatively, it could have reflected residence on a hill top, from the Anglo‑Saxon “cop” or Old English copp meaning “hill top”. The name persists in Yorkshire church registers, where one Richard Cowpas, son of John Cowpas, was christened on 10 July 1590 in Dewsbury, and where an Abraham Cowpas, son of William Coupas, was recorded at Otley on 26 July 1724.
In London, the surname first appears in the early 17th century. The church register of St. Martin Ludgate records the christening of Barbara, daughter of Thomas Copace, on 5 March 1614. The name is also noted in St. James, Paddington, where Mary Ann Copas married John Leden on 29 September 1833.
Variations of the surname are widespread. Common spellings include Copas, Copass, Coposs, Copus, Coppes, Copps. Related surnames, found mainly in Scotland and the United States, are Copestake, Coupland and Coupe. The spelling Copus is particularly associated with Cornwall and the Isle of Man.
While intrinsically English, the Copas name has a notable presence in the United States. According to the 2020 census, roughly nine thousand residents carry the surname. The distribution is concentrated in southern states such as Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. The name has also been recorded in Canada, Australia, Ireland, India and other countries, reflecting its trans‑Atlantic migration.
The synthesis of medieval English, Old English, French and, to a limited extent, German linguistic roots gives the Copas surname a richly layered heritage. Its evolution from a personal diminutive, an occupational descriptor, a topographical marker and a locational identifier illustrates the common way surnames in Britain constructed identity from everyday life, language and geography. Contemporary bearers of the name continue to embody its historical connections to tradition, community and linguistic diversity throughout the world.
Typical given names associated with the Copas surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- Duncan
- James
- Jason
- John
- Kevin
- Lee
- Michael
- Richard
- Ronald
- Stephen
- Steven
Female
- Angela
- Eileen
- Geraldine
- Hazel
- Jacqueline
- Lisa
- Louise
- Maureen
- Nicola
- Sarah
- Susan
- Tanya
- Tracy
- Victoria
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 Copas in...
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There are approximately 408 people named Copas in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around six in a million people in Britain are named Copas.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
