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

Copney, 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 Copney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Copney in America

Copney is the 78316th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Copney surname appeared 244 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 Copney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Copney 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 Copney

The surname Copney is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from an Old English word "copp," meaning a hilltop or summit, and the suffix "-ey," indicating a place or location. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or on a hilltop.

Variations of the spelling, such as Copnay and Copneye, can be found in historical records dating back to the 13th century. The earliest known recorded instance of the name is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, where a Richard de Copneye is mentioned.

In the Domesday Book, a great survey of England completed in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, there are references to several places that may have influenced the surname's origin, such as Copmanthorpe in Yorkshire and Copmanford in Suffolk.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was John Copney, a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Worcestershire, who lived in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Sir William Copney, a knight who served in the armies of King Henry V during the Hundred Years' War in the early 15th century.

In the 16th century, a branch of the Copney family settled in the county of Cheshire, where they became influential landowners and local gentry. One member, Thomas Copney, was born in 1532 and served as the High Sheriff of Cheshire in 1573.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a Captain Robert Copney is recorded as having fought for the Parliamentarian forces against King Charles I. He was killed in action at the Battle of Naseby in 1645.

Another notable bearer of the surname was the writer and poet James Copney, who was born in Wiltshire in 1678 and published several collections of verse and prose works during the early 18th century.

The surname Copney, while not one of the most common English surnames, has a rich history spanning several centuries, with bearers from various walks of life, including landowners, military figures, and literary figures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Copney

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

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

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

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