COPLEY
Copley is an English locational surname that originated in the British Isles. The name evolved when inhabitants of a particular place migrated elsewhere and were identified by the name of their birthplace.
The primary place that gave rise to the surname is Copley in West Yorkshire, England. The name is believed to derive from the Old English words cop, meaning summit or hilltop, and leah, meaning clearing or meadow, so that Copley originally referred to a hilltop clearing.
Other locations of the same name exist in Cheshire, Durham, Staffordshire and Yorkshire. In these cases, the place name may either derive from the pre‑7th-century personal name Coppa – a byname for a tall man – or from the Old English copp meaning summit or hilltop, with the element leah again signifying a wood or clearing. Hence the locational surnames could mean Coppa's wood or wood on the hilltop.
The earliest recorded spelling of the family name appears as Robertus de Coplay in the 1379 Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns, held during the reign of King Richard II, who was also known as Richard of Bordeaux.
In 1379 the Yorkshire Poll Tax Registers also list individuals named Johannes de Copelay and Willelmus de Coppelay, indicating the use of the surname in the late fourteenth century. A further early record is the 1543 marriage of Edmond Copley to Ann Rawlyns at St. Michael's Bassishaw in London, dated 15 October.
An early emigrant bearing the surname was James Copley, aged 22, who departed from the Port of London aboard the vessel Globe bound for Virginia in August 1635. He represents one of the earliest members of the Copley family to settle in the New World.
The family has been granted a coat of arms described as tinctures of silver and blue, featuring a black cross patonce and eight silver escallops within the blue border. The crest consists of a right arm—proper, that is, natural-coloured—in armour, bearing a gold escallop, surrounded above the wrist by a wreath of green laurel and holding a dagger, with hilt and pommel of gold.
The surname Copley remains a clear example of an English locational name with documented medieval origins, an established heraldic identity, and a traceable presence in both Britain and early colonial America.
Typical given names associated with the Copley surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Christine
- Diane
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Joan
- Joanne
- Judith
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Rachel
- 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 Copley in...
Braille
⠉⠕⠏⠇⠑⠽
Morse
-.-.---.--..-...-.--
Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Copley are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Hobnob.
There are approximately 4,167 people named Copley in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,236th most common surname in Britain. Around 64 in a million people in Britain are named Copley.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Copley
- Paul Copley - Actor
- Sharlto Copley - South African producer, actor, and director
- Peter Copley - Actor (1915 to 2008)
- Jimmy Copley - Musician (1953 to 2017)
- Tom Copley - Politician
- John Copley - Artist (1875 to 1950)
- John Copley - Theatre producer
- Peter Copley - Composer
- Terence Copley - Academic (1946 to 2011)
- Syd Copley - Cricketer (1905 to 1986)
- William Copley - Australian politician (1845 to 1925)
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.