2000
#8,729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,466
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Copper
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold copper goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,086 Americans carry the last name Copper. That puts it at #11,231 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,068 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Copper 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Copper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,068
Census rank
#11,231
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,691 bearers of the surname Copper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11231st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Copper, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Copper
The surname Copper has its origins in England, dating back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "coper," which referred to a person who worked as a coppersmith or maker of copper utensils. The name is occupational in nature, indicating the trade or profession of the earliest bearers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Copper can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mention a "Willelmus le Coper." This entry suggests that the name was already in use by the end of the 12th century, likely referring to an individual involved in the copper trade or metalworking industry.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Coppere" and "Copere," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that period. Records from this time include references to individuals like John le Coper, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272.
The Copper surname is also associated with certain place names, particularly those derived from the Old English word "copp," meaning a hill or summit. For example, the village of Coppull in Lancashire is believed to have influenced the naming of some Copper families in that region.
Among notable historical figures bearing the Copper surname, one can mention:
1. Sir John Copper (c. 1558-1628), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1620.
2. Samuel Copper (1609-1683), an English clergyman and author of several religious works, including "The Epitome of Divinity" (1669).
3. Thomas Copper (1612-1674), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Brackley during the English Civil War.
4. Richard Copper (1718-1804), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Pendennis Castle in Cornwall.
5. William Copper (1736-1800), an English engraver and portrait painter known for his works depicting notable figures of the time, such as Samuel Johnson and Sir Joshua Reynolds.
The Copper surname has a rich history rooted in the metalworking traditions of England, and its bearers have left their mark across various fields, from politics and religion to the arts and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Copper
Among Census respondents with the surname Copper, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Copper 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 Copper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.3% · 1,488
- Black or African American35.6% · 957
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 116
- Two or more races3.7% · 99
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Copper
Copper 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
#10,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,211
-255 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 1,301 places
2020
#11,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,691
-520 bearers (-16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 1,201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,729 | 3,466 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,030 | 3,211 | 1.09 | -255 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 1,301 places |
| 2020 | #11,231 | 2,691 | 0.90 | -520 bearers (-16.2%) | Down 1,201 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 Copper 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 | #10,030 | #11,231 | -12.0% |
| Count | 3,211 | 2,691 | -16.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.90 | -17.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Copper bearers went from 3,211 to 2,691 (-16.2% change). The surname moved down 1,201 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,030 to #11,231.
FAQ
Copper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Copper?
Name Census estimates that about 3,086 living Americans carry the surname Copper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,068 residents.
How common is Copper?
Copper ranks #11,231 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,691 people with the surname Copper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,086), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Copper.
Has Copper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Copper went from 3,211 recorded bearers to 2,691. That is a decrease of 520 (-16.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,030 to #11,231.
What does the Census say about the background of Copper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Copper, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (35.6%) and Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Copper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.3% (1,488 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Copper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.3%), Black (35.6%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Copper (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 Copper mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who made or sold copper goods. 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 Copper (0.90 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 Copper?
Want to know how many people have the last name Copper? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.