Find out how popular the last name Cooper is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cooper.

Cooper, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cooper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cooper in America

Cooper is the 70th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cooper surname appeared 280,791 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 95 people would have the surname Cooper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cooper to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cooper

The surname Cooper has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is an occupational surname, derived from the Old English word "cupere," meaning someone who made casks, buckets, and other wooden vessels. Coopers were skilled craftsmen who constructed and repaired these containers, which were essential for storing and transporting goods like wine, ale, and other liquids.

The earliest known record of the surname Cooper dates back to 1275, when a Richard le Cupere was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. This is one of the earliest surviving public records in England, and its inclusion of the name suggests that the occupation of cooper was already well-established by that time.

In the 14th century, the surname Cooper appeared in various forms, such as le Cuper, Cowper, and Couper, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One notable mention is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Walter le Cupere is listed as holding property in Oxfordshire.

Throughout the medieval period, coopers played a vital role in the production and trade of alcoholic beverages, particularly in areas with thriving breweries and vineyards. The demand for their skills ensured that the surname Cooper remained prevalent across England.

One of the earliest recorded Coopers was William Cooper, born around 1390 in Leicestershire. He is mentioned in historical records as a prominent cooper and landowner in the region.

Another notable figure was John Cooper, a cooper from London who lived in the late 15th century. He is renowned for his work on the construction of the famous Nonsuch Palace, built by Henry VIII in Surrey between 1538 and 1545.

In the 16th century, the surname Cooper gained further prominence with the rise of the British Navy. Thomas Cooper, born around 1520 in Devon, was a master cooper who supplied the Royal Navy with high-quality casks and barrels for storing provisions and gunpowder on ships.

During the 17th century, the surname Cooper continued to be associated with skilled craftsmen, such as Richard Cooper, a cooper from Nottinghamshire, who is recorded as having supplied casks to the East India Company in the 1680s.

As the Cooper trade spread across the British Empire, the surname became widespread in various colonies, including North America and Australia. One notable figure was James Cooper, born in 1753 in Pennsylvania, who established a successful cooperage business and played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War as a supply contractor for the Continental Army.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cooper

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cooper.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cooper was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cooper has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cooper was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cooper, please contact us.

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