2000
#14,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,939
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Cupples
Derived from a place name meaning "enclosure" or "pen" in Old English, or an occupational name for a cooper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,284 Americans carry the last name Cupples. That puts it at #14,435 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,068 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cupples 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 Cupples with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 150,068
Census rank
#14,435
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,992 bearers of the surname Cupples in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14435th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cupples, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cupples
The surname Cupples is believed to have originated from the northern English counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire during the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "cuppel," which means a small cup or vessel. The name may have been given to someone who made or sold cups, or perhaps to someone who lived near a distinctive cup-shaped hill or hollow.
One of the earliest recordings of the name can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a Richard Coupull is listed. The name appeared with various spellings over the centuries, such as Cowpull, Coupill, Cupill, and Cuppill, before settling on the modern form of Cupples.
In the 16th century, the Cupples family had established themselves in the village of Leyburn, located in the Yorkshire Dales. The Leyburn Parish Registers from 1580 contain several entries for Cupples families, suggesting their presence in the area during this period.
A notable early bearer of the name was John Cupples, a merchant from Leyburn who lived from 1587 to 1653. He is recorded as having traded in wool and other goods, contributing to the local economy of the Yorkshire Dales region.
In the late 17th century, the Cupples name appeared in Scotland, possibly due to migration from northern England. One of the earliest recorded instances in Scotland is that of James Cupples, born in 1678 in the town of Dumfries.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, members of the Cupples family played significant roles in various fields. Robert Cupples (1725-1789) was a prominent merchant and landowner in Glasgow, Scotland, while James Cupples (1768-1854) was a successful industrialist and founder of the Cupples Iron Works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Another notable figure was Samuel Cupples (1835-1905), an American businessman and philanthropist from St. Louis, Missouri. He made his fortune in the woodenware and furniture industries and was a major benefactor of Washington University in St. Louis.
As the name spread across the English-speaking world, it has been borne by several other notable individuals, including the British engineer and inventor William Cupples (1869-1944) and the Australian writer and journalist Joseph Cupples (1887-1956).
While the Cupples surname may have humble beginnings tied to cup-making or geographical features, it has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cupples
Among Census respondents with the surname Cupples, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cupples 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 Cupples surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 1,802
- Two or more races4.0% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 72
- Black or African American1.1% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cupples
Cupples 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
#14,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,003
+64 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 605 places
2020
#14,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,992
-11 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 371 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,201 | 1,939 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,806 | 2,003 | 0.68 | +64 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 605 places |
| 2020 | #14,435 | 1,992 | 0.67 | -11 bearers (-0.5%) | Up 371 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 Cupples 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 | #14,806 | #14,435 | 2.5% |
| Count | 2,003 | 1,992 | -0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.67 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cupples bearers went from 2,003 to 1,992 (-0.5% change). The surname moved up 371 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,806 to #14,435.
FAQ
Cupples surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cupples?
Name Census estimates that about 2,284 living Americans carry the surname Cupples. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,068 residents.
How common is Cupples?
Cupples ranks #14,435 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 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 1,992 people with the surname Cupples. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,284), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 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 Cupples.
Has Cupples become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cupples went from 2,003 recorded bearers to 1,992. That is a decrease of 11 (-0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,806 to #14,435.
What does the Census say about the background of Cupples?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cupples, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Cupples in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (1,802 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cupples appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Cupples (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 Cupples mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "enclosure" or "pen" in Old English, or an occupational name for a cooper. 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 Cupples (0.67 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 share the surname Cupples?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.