2000
#13,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,060
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Copas
A Spanish occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold cups, goblets, or chalices.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,124 Americans carry the last name Copas. That puts it at #15,262 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,372 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Copas surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Copas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,372
Census rank
#15,262
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,852 bearers of the surname Copas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15262nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Copas, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Copas
The surname Copas is believed to have originated in Spain during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Spanish word "copa," meaning "cup" or "chalice." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a cup-maker or who was associated with the production or sale of cups.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Copas can be found in the Archivo General de Indias, a collection of documents from the Spanish colonial era. A document dated 1595 mentions a certain Juan Copas, a resident of Seville, Spain. This indicates that the name was already in use by the late 16th century.
The Copas surname can also be traced back to the region of Extremadura in western Spain, where it is believed to have originated. Some historians have suggested that the name may be linked to the village of Copas, located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura.
In the 17th century, the Copas name appears in records from the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One notable figure was Pedro Copas, a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of Chile in the 1540s. He was one of the earliest Europeans to explore and settle in the region.
Another historically significant individual with the Copas surname was Tomás Copas (1647-1721), a Spanish painter and engraver from Madrid. His works, which included religious paintings and engravings, were highly regarded during the Baroque period in Spain.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the Copas name was Ramón Copas y Bautista (1836-1906), a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Congress of Deputies, representing the province of Cáceres.
As the Copas surname spread beyond Spain, it can also be found in other Spanish-speaking countries, particularly in Latin America. One notable example is Ernesto Copas (1904-1983), a Chilean football player who represented his country in the 1930 FIFA World Cup.
Overall, the surname Copas has a rich history rooted in the medieval Spanish tradition, with connections to various regions, occupations, and notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Copas
Among Census respondents with the surname Copas, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Copas bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Copas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.4% · 1,581
- Hispanic or Latino10.2% · 188
- Two or more races2.7% · 50
- Black or African American0.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Copas
Copas appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,046
-14 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 1,034 places
2020
#15,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,852
-194 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 698 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,530 | 2,060 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,564 | 2,046 | 0.69 | -14 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 1,034 places |
| 2020 | #15,262 | 1,852 | 0.62 | -194 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 698 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Copas surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,564 | #15,262 | -4.8% |
| Count | 2,046 | 1,852 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.62 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Copas bearers went from 2,046 to 1,852 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 698 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,564 to #15,262.
FAQ
Copas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Copas?
Name Census estimates that about 2,124 living Americans carry the surname Copas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,372 residents.
How common is Copas?
Copas ranks #15,262 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,852 people with the surname Copas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,124), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Copas.
Has Copas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Copas went from 2,046 recorded bearers to 1,852. That is a decrease of 194 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,564 to #15,262.
What does the Census say about the background of Copas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Copas, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Copas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.4% (1,581 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Copas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.4%), Hispanic (10.2%), Two or More Races (2.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Copas (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Copas mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold cups, goblets, or chalices. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Copas (0.62 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Copas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.