2000
#13,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,088
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Copple
An English occupational surname for a buyer or seller of cups, from the Middle English "couper" meaning cup-maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,248 Americans carry the last name Copple. That puts it at #14,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,471 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Copple 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 Copple with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 152,471
Census rank
#14,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,960 bearers of the surname Copple in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Copple, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Copple
The surname Copple originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "copp," meaning a hill or a mound. This suggests that the name was initially a topographic surname, given to someone who lived near a prominent hill or raised area of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the 13th century, with a reference to a "Robert de la Copple" in the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273. This indicates that the name was likely in use by that time, and may have been associated with a specific location called "Copple" or a variation thereof.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, including "Coppyll," "Copull," and "Coppel," reflecting the inconsistent spellings common in those times. A notable bearer of the name was John Copple, a landowner mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1348.
By the 16th century, the spelling had become more standardized to the modern form of Copple. In 1567, a record from the Parish Registers of Orton, Westmorland, mentions the marriage of one Thomas Copple. Around the same time, the name was also found in the nearby county of Cumberland, where a William Copple was recorded in the Muster Rolls of 1583.
Moving into the 17th century, the Copple surname gained some prominence with the birth of Richard Copple (1625-1701), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Somerby in Lincolnshire. Another notable figure was John Copple (1670-1743), a merchant and philanthropist from Chichester, West Sussex, who left a substantial bequest to support education and charitable causes in the city.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in various parish records across England, with families bearing the surname found in places like Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, and Warwickshire. One significant individual from this period was William Copple (1742-1823), a renowned clockmaker from Ipswich, Suffolk, whose work was highly regarded in his time.
As the centuries progressed, the Copple surname continued to be found throughout England, with some bearers emigrating to other parts of the world, carrying the name with them. While not an extremely common surname, it has left a lasting legacy in various regions and historical records, reflecting the rich tapestry of English naming traditions and their evolution over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Copple
Among Census respondents with the surname Copple, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Copple 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 Copple surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 1,803
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 64
- Two or more races3.2% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Copple
Copple 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
#14,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,112
+24 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 831 places
2020
#14,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,960
-152 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 379 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,382 | 2,088 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,213 | 2,112 | 0.72 | +24 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 831 places |
| 2020 | #14,592 | 1,960 | 0.66 | -152 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 379 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 Copple 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 | #14,213 | #14,592 | -2.7% |
| Count | 2,112 | 1,960 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.66 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Copple bearers went from 2,112 to 1,960 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 379 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,213 to #14,592.
FAQ
Copple surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Copple?
Name Census estimates that about 2,248 living Americans carry the surname Copple. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,471 residents.
How common is Copple?
Copple ranks #14,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,960 people with the surname Copple. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,248), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Copple.
Has Copple become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Copple went from 2,112 recorded bearers to 1,960. That is a decrease of 152 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,213 to #14,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Copple?
Among Census respondents with the surname Copple, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Copple in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,803 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Copple appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Copple (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 Copple mean?
An English occupational surname for a buyer or seller of cups, from the Middle English "couper" meaning cup-maker. 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 Copple (0.66 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 are called Copple?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Copple at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.