Cop last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Cop

A surname referring to an officer of the law or law enforcement.

Cop, 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 Cop surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cop in America

Cop is the 73464th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cop surname appeared 264 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cop.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cop 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 73464 72717 1.02%
Count 264 249 5.85%
Proportion per 100k 0.09 0.09 0.00%

The history of the last name Cop

The surname Cop has its origins in England, with records of the name dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "copp," which referred to a hill or a summit. This suggests that the name may have originally been a topographic surname, given to someone who lived near or on a hill.

One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a person named Walter Copp. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records compiled in England during the reign of King Edward I, providing valuable insight into the names and locations of people at that time.

The name Cop also appears in historical records from other parts of England, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, which list a John Copp. These rolls were financial records maintained by the Exchequer, documenting payments and debts owed to the Crown.

In the 16th century, the name Cop can be found in various parish registers and records, with spellings including Coppe, Copp, and Cop. One notable individual from this period was William Copp, a merchant and Member of Parliament for Ipswich, born in 1548.

During the 17th century, the name Cop gained prominence in the New World, with settlers carrying the name to the American colonies. One such individual was David Cop, who was born in England in 1617 and later settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he worked as a cooper (a maker of wooden casks and barrels).

Another notable figure with the surname Cop was John Cop, a prominent Puritan minister born in England in 1633. He later emigrated to New England and served as a minister in Cambridge, Massachusetts, playing a significant role in the religious and intellectual life of the colony.

In the 18th century, the name Cop continued to be found in various records, including those of William Cop, a merchant and landowner in Virginia, born in 1725. He was a prominent figure in the colonial society of Virginia and held several public offices.

As the centuries progressed, the surname Cop spread across different regions and countries, with variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its origins can be traced back to the English landscape and the Old English word "copp," reflecting the topographic nature of many early surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cop

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

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 Cop was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 82.95% 219
Non-Hispanic Black Only 4.17% 11
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 10.98% 29

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 Cop has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 82.95% 83.53% -0.70%
Black 4.17% 6.02% -36.31%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 10.98% 7.23% 41.19%

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 Cop was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Cop last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 16, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/cop-surname-popularity/.

"Cop last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/cop-surname-popularity/. Accessed 16 July, 2025

Cop last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/cop-surname-popularity/.

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