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

Copening, 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 Copening surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Copening in America

Copening is the 81458th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Copening surname appeared 232 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 Copening.

We can also compare 2010 data for Copening 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 Copening

The surname Copening is believed to have originated in the northern regions of England during the medieval period, specifically in the counties of Yorkshire and Northumberland. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "cop," meaning a hill or summit, and "ing," a common suffix denoting a place or location.

The earliest known records of the Copening surname date back to the 13th century, with some entries appearing in the Lancashire Pipe Rolls of 1246 and the Curia Regis Rolls of 1258. These early mentions suggest that the name may have been associated with individuals residing near or on a hilltop settlement.

In the 14th century, the Copening surname appeared in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where it was recorded as "Copenyng." This variation in spelling was common during this period, as standardized spelling conventions were not yet established.

One notable historical figure bearing the Copening surname was Sir Richard Copening, a knight who fought alongside Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the mid-14th century. He was recorded as being present at the Battle of Crécy in 1346 and the Siege of Calais in 1347.

The Copernings were also mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1452, which documented land transactions and property disputes. This record suggests that the family held significant landholdings in the region at that time.

During the 16th century, the Copening surname was found in various parish records across northern England, including baptisms, marriages, and burials. One such entry is the christening of John Copening in the parish of Kirkby Malzeard, Yorkshire, in 1587.

In the 17th century, a notable figure with the Copening surname was Robert Copening, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Newcastle upon Tyne. He was involved in the coal trade and served as a member of the town's merchant guild.

The Copernings continued to be prevalent in northern England throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, with several individuals bearing the name appearing in local historical records, such as wills, court documents, and parish registers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Copening

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Copening, 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!