2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cupil
A surname possibly derived from the Scots-Gaelic word 'cupall' meaning cup or bowl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Cupil. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cupil 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Cupil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cupil, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Black (44.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cupil
The surname "CUPIL" originates from the English counties of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire in the Midlands region of England during the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "copel," which means a small hill or summit.
In medieval times, the name was often spelled as "Coppill" or "Coppel," and it was commonly used to refer to individuals who lived near small hills or elevated areas. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to 1273, when a William Coppill was mentioned in the Derbyshire Assize Rolls.
Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, the name appears in various historical records, such as the Lay Subsidy Rolls, where it was often associated with landowners and freeholders in the Midlands region. One notable individual from this period was John Cupil, who was born around 1420 in Nottinghamshire and served as a local magistrate.
By the 16th century, the spelling of the name had evolved to its modern form, "CUPIL." During this time, the name was also found in other parts of England, particularly in the neighboring county of Staffordshire. A prominent figure with this surname was Thomas Cupil, born in 1568 in Derbyshire, who was a successful merchant and landowner.
In the 17th century, the name "CUPIL" was associated with several notable individuals, including Richard Cupil (1612-1678), a Puritan minister who served in various parishes in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, and William Cupil (1638-1702), a respected lawyer and member of the Inns of Court in London.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the name continued to be found in various parts of England, with some individuals migrating to other parts of the British Empire, including North America and Australia. One such individual was John Cupil (1790-1865), a British soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later settled in Upper Canada (present-day Ontario, Canada).
Other notable individuals with the surname "CUPIL" include Elizabeth Cupil (1820-1894), a writer and educator from Derbyshire, and Henry Cupil (1856-1932), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Nottinghamshire, who contributed significantly to the development of his local community.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cupil
Among Census respondents with the surname Cupil, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Black (44.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cupil 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 Cupil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino47.8% · 54
- Black or African American44.2% · 50
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- White3.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cupil
Cupil appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-10 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,772 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 10,772 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 Cupil 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 | #136,449 | #147,221 | -7.9% |
| Count | 123 | 113 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cupil bearers went from 123 to 113 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 10,772 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #147,221.
FAQ
Cupil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cupil?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Cupil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Cupil?
Cupil ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Cupil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Cupil.
Has Cupil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cupil went from 123 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Cupil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cupil, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 47.8%. The next largest groups are Black (44.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cupil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.8% (54 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cupil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (47.8%), Black (44.2%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Cupil (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 Cupil mean?
A surname possibly derived from the Scots-Gaelic word 'cupall' meaning cup or bowl. 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 Cupil (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 people are called Cupil?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Cupil on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.