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

Copen, 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 Copen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Copen in America

Copen is the 23768th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Copen surname appeared 1,064 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 Copen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Copen 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 Copen

The surname COPEN is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "coper," meaning "coppersmith" or "maker of brass vessels." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were likely involved in the metalworking trade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholders in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The entry lists a person named Richard Copen as a resident of Oxfordshire.

During the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with slight variations in spelling, such as Copyn, Copyne, and Copenne. These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions at the time.

The COPEN surname is also connected to several place names in England, such as Copen Hill in Gloucestershire and Copen Hanger in Hampshire. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname or vice versa.

Historically notable individuals bearing the COPEN surname include:

1. Thomas Copen (c. 1540-1609), an English clergyman and author.
2. William Copen (1582-1658), an English merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of London in 1642.
3. John Copen (1672-1737), an English botanist and naturalist known for his contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.
4. Mary Copen (1718-1793), a British writer and translator best known for her translations of French literary works.
5. Robert Copen (1798-1870), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.

While the COPEN surname originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, it remains relatively uncommon, with most instances of the name concentrated in the United Kingdom and countries with significant British influence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Copen

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!