2000
#13,019
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,159
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Coppinger
An occupational surname for a metalworker who made or sold cups, mugs, or other drinking vessels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,148 Americans carry the last name Coppinger. That puts it at #15,115 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,569 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coppinger 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 Coppinger with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 159,569
Census rank
#15,115
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,873 bearers of the surname Coppinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15115th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coppinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coppinger
The surname Coppinger originated in Ireland, deriving from the Irish Gaelic word "copanach" which means "navigator" or "mariner". The name first emerged in County Cork during the 12th century, as this coastal region was home to many seafaring families.
The earliest recorded instance of the Coppinger name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of County Cork from 1211, where a Phillip Coppinger is listed as owing taxes to the Crown. By the 13th century, the Coppingers had established themselves as a prominent family in the area around Kinsale and the wider Cork region.
In 1642, during the Irish Confederate Wars, a Sir Walter Coppinger is recorded as leading a contingent of men against the English Parliamentary forces. His bravery and skill as a commander earned him renown, though he ultimately perished in battle that year.
The Coppingers maintained their landholdings and influence through the 17th and 18th centuries. Notably, Ambrose Coppinger (1737-1805) served as Lord Mayor of Cork City on two occasions, in 1780 and 1789. He was a prosperous merchant and landowner, leaving a lasting impact on the city's development.
In the 19th century, Robert Coppinger (1834-1909) gained fame as an author and poet. Born in Midleton, County Cork, he wrote extensively on Irish history and culture, with his works helping to preserve the region's rich heritage and traditions.
Another prominent figure was Stephen Coppinger (1822-1898), a decorated officer in the British Army who served with distinction in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He rose to the rank of Major General before retiring.
As the Coppinger name spread beyond its Cork origins, branches emerged across Ireland and further afield. Notable individuals include William Coppinger (1778-1857), an influential priest and scholar in Waterford, and John Coppinger (1599-1677), an early settler in the Virginia Colony of British America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coppinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Coppinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Coppinger 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 Coppinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 1,661
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 88
- Two or more races3.8% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 18
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coppinger
Coppinger 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
#14,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,090
-69 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 1,297 places
2020
#15,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,873
-217 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 799 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,019 | 2,159 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,316 | 2,090 | 0.71 | -69 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 1,297 places |
| 2020 | #15,115 | 1,873 | 0.63 | -217 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 799 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 Coppinger 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 | #14,316 | #15,115 | -5.6% |
| Count | 2,090 | 1,873 | -10.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.71 | 0.63 | -11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coppinger bearers went from 2,090 to 1,873 (-10.4% change). The surname moved down 799 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,316 to #15,115.
FAQ
Coppinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coppinger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,148 living Americans carry the surname Coppinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,569 residents.
How common is Coppinger?
Coppinger ranks #15,115 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,873 people with the surname Coppinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,148), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Coppinger.
Has Coppinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coppinger went from 2,090 recorded bearers to 1,873. That is a decrease of 217 (-10.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,316 to #15,115.
What does the Census say about the background of Coppinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coppinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Coppinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (1,661 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coppinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Coppinger (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 Coppinger mean?
An occupational surname for a metalworker who made or sold cups, mugs, or other drinking vessels. 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 Coppinger (0.63 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 Coppinger?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Coppinger is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.