2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Coplien
A variant spelling of an English surname derived from the town of Coupland in Yorkshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Coplien. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coplien 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Coplien in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coplien, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coplien
The surname COPLIEN has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "kopf," which means "head," and may have initially been a descriptive name given to someone with a distinctive head shape or hairstyle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the COPLIEN name can be found in the parish records of Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia), where a family with the surname Coplien is mentioned in the late 1500s. It is possible that the name was derived from a place name or a locational surname, as many German surnames have roots in geographic locations.
In the 17th century, the COPLIEN name appears in various documents and records across northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Pomerania and East Prussia. This suggests that the name had spread and become more widespread during this period.
One notable bearer of the COPLIEN surname was Johann Coplien, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland) in the late 17th century. Records indicate that he was a prominent figure in the local trade community and owned several properties in the city.
Another historically significant individual with the COPLIEN surname was Karl Coplien, a German military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Born in 1785 in East Prussia, he served in the Prussian army and participated in several key battles, including the Battle of Leipzig in 1813.
In the 19th century, the COPLIEN name continued to be found in various regions of Germany, with some families migrating to other parts of Europe and even to North America. One example is August Coplien, a German immigrant who settled in the United States in the mid-1800s and established a successful farming business in Illinois.
Throughout the centuries, the COPLIEN surname has undergone slight variations in spelling, such as Coeplien, Köplien, and Köpplin, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic evolution. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain linked to the German word "kopf" and its potential connection to physical characteristics or geographic locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coplien
Among Census respondents with the surname Coplien, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Coplien 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 Coplien surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 109
- Two or more races6.7% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coplien
Coplien 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,106 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,432 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 12,106 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 2,432 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 Coplien 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 | #145,220 | #142,788 | 1.7% |
| Count | 114 | 119 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coplien bearers went from 114 to 119 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 2,432 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #142,788.
FAQ
Coplien surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coplien?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Coplien. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Coplien?
Coplien ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Coplien. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Coplien.
Has Coplien become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coplien went from 114 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 5 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Coplien?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coplien, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Coplien in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coplien appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (6.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Coplien (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 Coplien mean?
A variant spelling of an English surname derived from the town of Coupland in Yorkshire. 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 Coplien (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 Americans have the surname Coplien?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.