The surname Cooper is an occupational name. It stems from the Middle English word ‘coupere’, meaning ‘a maker or repairer of wooden casks, buckets or tubs’. The Middle English word derives from a Latin word, ‘cuparius’.

In medieval times the occupation of cooper played a vital part in commercial and community life, for in those days all liquids were conveyed in tubs and barrels. The craft of coopering is still practised today to produce wooden barrels for real ale, whisky and port (and any other liquid to be ‘matured in wood’).

As is to be expected of such a widespread profession, the name Cooper is relatively evenly distributed all over the country, with the unaccountable exception of parts of the North. For this reason, there are many spelling variations. These include Couper, Cowper and even Cupper. Another variation is Copper, though in some cases this means ‘worker in copper’ (as in the variation Coppersmith). Another variation of Cooper is spelt Coopper, though it is now rare.

The earliest mention of this name occurs in the Pipe Rolls for Surrey of 1176—7. Here one Robert (le) Cupere is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls for Norfolk of 1181—2 also mention two le Cuperes. The French ‘le’ is strictly Norman, becoming widespread in England after the Conquest. It was particularly prevalent in occupational names-thus Robert the Cooper, Charles the Baker, and so on.

The Worshipful Company of Coopers in the City of London was founded in 1501. This Livery Company maintained the standards of the trade, also supervising apprenticeships. Originally it was a guild which consisted of makers of all kinds of wooden casks and buckets, as well as barrels.

The Cooper is a famous British racing car. The first version was built in 1946 by John Cooper and his father, Charles. By 1955 the Cooper was a world-beater and, with Jack Brabham driving, won the Australian Grand Prix. From 1959 through the early 1960s the Cooper (now with a Coventry- Climax engine) dominated the Grand Prix field and won the World Championship.

The surname has long dominated the world’s stages and cinemas. Notable thespians include Dame Gladys Cooper (1888—1971), Gary Cooper (1901—61), Lady Diana Cooper (b.1892) and Jackie Cooper (b.1921).

The United Kingdom has a Coopersdale Common and a town called Coopernook. The United States has 7 Cooper-related towns including Cooperstown, well known in America for its Baseball Hall of Fame. New Zealand has a Cooper Island while Canada and Australia have Cooper mountains.

With about 158,000 namesakes Cooper is the 27th most popular surname in England and Wales. (The name is not common enough throughout Scotland to be counted separately.) Cooper is notably popular in and around Sheffield where an estimated one in about 290 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Leicester, Nottingham and Birmingham are other Cooper strongholds. Around the world Coopers are most common in Sydney (one in 701 families), Auckland (one in 713) and Canberra (one in 719). The United States has more Coopers than the entire population of Leicester-an estimated total of just over 283,000 makes this their 57th most popular surname.