2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Copithorne
A locational surname denoting one from any of several places named Copythorne in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Copithorne. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Copithorne 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.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Copithorne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Copithorne, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Copithorne
The surname COPITHORNE has its roots in England, originating during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from an Old English term, "cop-thorn," which translates to a thorn-bush on the top of a hill or a hillock covered with thorn-bushes. This suggests that the name may have initially been a toponymic reference to a place where the earliest bearers of the name resided or owned land.
The earliest known record of the name COPITHORNE can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dated 1166, where it appears as "Copinthorn." This document provides evidence of the name's existence in Yorkshire during the 12th century. Over time, variations in spelling emerged, including Copthorn, Copthorne, and eventually, the modern form, COPITHORNE.
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Sir John Copithorne, a wealthy merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire who lived in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in several contemporary records, including the Gloucestershire Feet of Fines from 1485, which details his acquisition of land in the county.
Another individual of note was Robert Copithorne, born in 1570 in Lincolnshire, who served as a member of the British East India Company and played a role in establishing trade relations between England and India in the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, the COPITHORNE name appears in the records of the Society of Antiquaries of London, where a certain William Copithorne is listed as a member in 1737. This suggests that members of the family had achieved a level of prominence and scholarly recognition during this period.
Moving into the 19th century, the name is associated with the literary world through the poet and novelist Charlotte Copithorne, born in 1806 in Gloucestershire. Her works, though not widely acclaimed during her lifetime, have been recognized for their lyrical quality and vivid descriptions of rural English life.
Another notable figure was Sir Edward Copithorne, a British military officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Born in 1818 in Devonshire, he rose through the ranks and was awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest military honor, for his bravery in action during the Indian Rebellion.
While the COPITHORNE surname may not be among the most common in modern times, its long and diverse history spanning several centuries attests to its enduring presence in various regions of England, with bearers contributing to various fields such as trade, literature, and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Copithorne
Among Census respondents with the surname Copithorne, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Copithorne 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 Copithorne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Copithorne
Copithorne 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+14 bearers (+13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,751 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+13.3%) | Up 4,751 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 1,152 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 Copithorne 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 | #140,157 | #141,309 | -0.8% |
| Count | 119 | 121 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Copithorne bearers went from 119 to 121 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 1,152 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #141,309.
FAQ
Copithorne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Copithorne?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Copithorne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Copithorne?
Copithorne ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Copithorne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Copithorne.
Has Copithorne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Copithorne went from 119 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Copithorne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Copithorne, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Copithorne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Copithorne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Copithorne (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 Copithorne mean?
A locational surname denoting one from any of several places named Copythorne in England. 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 Copithorne (0.04 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 people have the last name Copithorne?
If you just want to know how common the surname Copithorne is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.