This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the cooper'; v. Cooper.' Cowpare, cuparius': Promptorium Parvulorum. A statute of Elizabeth's reign includes such artisans as 'lynnen-weavers, turners, cowpers, millers, earthen-potters' (5 Elizabeth c. iv. 33).

Ricardus Turner, camper, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Johannes Tumour, cowper, 1379: ibid.

Johannes Cowper, glover, 1379: ibid.

Johannes Couper, coupar, 1379: ibid.

The poet 'Cowper pronounced his name as Cooper' (Dictionary of National Biography xii. 401). It seems odd that this information should be necessary, but to this day people almost invariably speak of Cow-per.

1592. Buried — Elizabeth, d. William Cowper: St. James, Clerkenwell.

This surname occurs in one form or another in nearly every county of Scotland. The name was in most cases derived from Cupar in Fife, but the occupation of 'cooper' has also contributed to its origin. The earliest record of the name is territorial, when dominus Salomone de Cupir appears as a charter witness in 1245 (RPSA., p. 44,282). The name, also, is common in early Fife records from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, additional evidence of its local origin. An instance pointing to the occupation as the source of the name occurs in 1329 when payment to "Alanus cuparius" (i.e. the "cooper') is recorded (ER., I, p. 221). John Cupar held land in Aberdeen, 1281 (REA., II, p. 278). Christian Cowper who held lands in Ravenysden near Berwick in 1275 (Dryburgh) may have been a relative of Symon Coupare of Berwickshire who rendered homage in 1296 (Bain, II, p. 207). Michael Couper was tenant in vill de Butyll, 1370 (RHM., II, p. lx), and William Coupare had a tenement in Irvine, 1426 (Irvine, I, p. 130). Thomas de Cupro, canon of the church of St. Andrews, 1406 (RPSA., p. 10) Patrick Culpar (the l is silent), witness in Aberdeen, 1468, appears in 1477 as Cowlpar and his wife as Cowlper (REA., I, p. 300,212). Finla Couper in Belnakeill, Atholl, was fined for resetting outlawed Macgregors, 1613 (RPC., X, p. 151), Patrick Cowper in Tilliemad, 1634 (SCM., III, p. 134), and Helen Copper in Keltie, 1672 (Dunblane). William Cowper, the poet, writing to Mrs. Courtenay, one of his friends says: "While Pitcairne whistles for his family estate in Fifeshire, he will do well if he will sound a few notes for me. I am originally of the same shire, and a family of my name is still there" (New statistical account, IX, p. 344). Coupar 1479, Couppar 1662, Cowpar 1500, Cowpare 1512, Cuper 1286.

= Cooper, q.v.

(English) One who made and sold casks, buckets and tubs.

The occupation-a maker of barrels, tubs, &c.; originally from coop, to keep or contain anything, whether wine in a cask, or a hen in her prison. Anglo-Saxon kepan, cepan. See Cowper. Le Coupere, Coupare, Cuparius, &c., H.R.

The old spelling of Cooper. The pronunciation of the poet's name, an unnecessarily vexed question, is settled by this identity. Both the earl and the poet sprang from a Sussex family, who in 1495 wrote themselves Cooper.

Local: from the town of Couparin Fifeshire. The family are descended from Simon Cooper, 1296.

A name of occupation or trade. The name is also local, from Cupar, a town in Fifeshire, Scotland, which is derived from Cu—pyre, the inclosed fire, or Co, high, a beacon fire, or signal on the coast for ships. Pyre, a beacon fire, on a high place, is the origin of the word pier, a wharf or landing—place for ships; Danish, pyr and fyr, a lantern; πυρ, Greek, a fire; the whole landing—place in time was called the pier.

Or De Columbers. The early history of the family has been noticed under Ashley-Cooper. In 1340 there were two branches in Sussex, as appears by the Non.

Inquisitiones. From one sprang the Coopers of Harting, from the other the Cowpers of Strood, who bore the arms of the Norman line of De Columbers, viz. gules, a chief argent (Des Bois), merely exchanging the tinctures, and adding other marks of cadency. The Norman line were barons of La Have du Puy. From the Cowpers of Strood in Sussex descended the C.s of Cheshire, ancestors of the Earls Cowper. Of this family were an eminent Lord Chancellor of England, and the poet Cowper.

Cowper: a maker of cups. Langland speaks of “Coupes of clere gold And coppes of silver.”

Cooper. —Distributed over the greater part of England, but rare or absent in the northern and south - western counties. It seems to have three principal centres, one in the northern midlands, including Cheshire, another in Sussex and Hants, and a third in Suffolk. The counties especially notable for Coopers are Cheshire, Derbyshire, Hants, Leicestershire and Rutland, Notts, Suffolk, Sussex, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire.

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.