2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cuppernell
A variant of the surname Coppernoll, of uncertain origin but possibly locational in nature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Cuppernell. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cuppernell 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Cuppernell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuppernell, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cuppernell
The surname Cuppernell is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "copp" meaning a hill or mound, and "ernel" meaning an eagle. Thus, the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a hill inhabited by eagles or a place with a similar descriptive name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname appears in the Worcestershire Feet of Fines from 1221, which mentions a Robert de Coppernhull. This suggests that variations of the name were present in the West Midlands region during the 13th century. Other early spellings include Coppernill, Coppernull, and Coppernolle.
In the 15th century, the Cuppernell name can be found in tax records from Norfolk, indicating that branches of the family had also settled in East Anglia by that time. Notable individuals from this era include John Cuppernell, a landowner in Wymondham, Norfolk, who was mentioned in legal documents from 1478.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Cuppernell surname continued to appear in various parish records and registers across England. One prominent figure was William Cuppernell, a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, who lived from 1580 to 1652. His descendants went on to establish themselves as a respected family in the region.
In the 18th century, the Cuppernell name was particularly concentrated in Gloucestershire and Somerset. A notable bearer was Reverend George Cuppernell (1718-1792), a Church of England clergyman who served as the Vicar of Dowdeswell in Gloucestershire.
As the industrial revolution progressed in the 19th century, many Cuppernells migrated from rural areas to cities in search of employment. One such individual was James Cuppernell (1820-1887), a coal miner from Staffordshire who later became involved in the early trade union movement.
Throughout its history, the Cuppernell surname has maintained a relatively consistent spelling, though variations such as Cupernell, Coppernell, and Coppernill have also been recorded. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark across various regions of England over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cuppernell
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuppernell, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Cuppernell 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 Cuppernell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 116
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cuppernell
Cuppernell 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+17 bearers (+17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,328 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,920 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+17.0%) | Up 8,328 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,920 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 Cuppernell 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 | #142,108 | #145,028 | -2.1% |
| Count | 117 | 116 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cuppernell bearers went from 117 to 116 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,920 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #145,028.
FAQ
Cuppernell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cuppernell?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Cuppernell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Cuppernell?
Cuppernell ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Cuppernell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Cuppernell.
Has Cuppernell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cuppernell went from 117 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Cuppernell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cuppernell, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Cuppernell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cuppernell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Cuppernell (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 Cuppernell mean?
A variant of the surname Coppernoll, of uncertain origin but possibly locational in nature. 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 Cuppernell (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 have the surname Cuppernell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.