Show ContentsCoppen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Today's generation of the Coppen family bears a name that was brought to England by the migration wave that was started by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Coppen family lived in Suffolk which is derived from the Old English copp, a word for the top or summit of a hill, and indicates someone who lived in such a place. Another reference presumes that the name was derived from the word "coppin," which was a "piece of yarn taken from a spindle." [1] The Suffolk expression "To live like a Coppinger, points to the wealth and hospitality of a family of this name who flourished in the 16th and 17th century at Buxhall." [1]

Early Origins of the Coppen family

The surname Coppen was first found in Suffolk where they held a family seat from very early times. Records from the year 1290 showed Greffrey Coppinger and Walter Coppinger in Waketown, Norfolk. Roger Coppinger of Waketun is listed in Norfolk in that same era, in the Rotuli Hundredorum. Other early records of the name include Seman Copinger, listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327; William Copenger listed in the Feet of Fines of Suffolk in 1383; and William Copynger, listed in the Feet of Fines of Essex in 1489. [2]

Early History of the Coppen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coppen research. Another 180 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1319, 1411, 1412, 1415, 1416, 1436, 1503, 1512, 1513, 1532, 1547, 1583, 1592, 1603, 1604, 1621, 1626, 1646, 1659, 1675 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Coppen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coppen Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Coppen include Coppinger, Coppenger, Copenger, Copinger, Coppynger, Copinsher and many more.

Early Notables of the Coppen family

Notables of this surname at this time include: William Copinger (d. 1436), who became the parson (rector) of Buxhall in 1416. He was a member of a family settled at Buxhall, Suffolk. His will is dated 20 Jan. 1411-1412, and was proved on 2 March 1415-1416. He was buried at Buxhall. [3] Sir Ralph Copinger, of Suffolk, was knighted on the battlefield at on Muckleburgh, in 1547, fighting against the Scots. John Coppin or Copping (d. 1583), was a Brownist, who lived in Bury St. Edmunds. He enthusiastically accepted the teachings of Robert Browne; preached Browne's doctrines in his native town...
Another 195 words (14 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Coppen Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Coppen family to Ireland

Some of the Coppen family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 65 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Coppen migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Coppens to arrive on North American shores:

Coppen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • George I Coppen, who arrived in Indiana in 1852 [4]
Coppen Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Charles J. Coppen, aged 27, who settled in America from London, England, in 1906
  • Charles James Coppen, aged 33, who landed in America from Surrey, England, in 1909
  • Catherine D. Coppen, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States from Surrey, England, in 1909
  • Ernest/William Coppen, aged 22, who immigrated to America from Trinton, Essex, England, in 1909
  • Clara E. Coppen, aged 46, who immigrated to the United States from Ipswich, England, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Coppen migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Coppen Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • George Coppen, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Duke of Wellington" in 1851 [5]
  • Mr. John Coppen, (b. 1853), aged 21, Cornish gardener travelling aboard the ship "Samuel Plimsoll" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 16th December 1874 [6]

Contemporary Notables of the name Coppen (post 1700) +

  • Shirley Coppen (b. 1946), Canadian former politician in Ontario, member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995
  • Alec Coppen (1923-2019), British psychiatrist, one of the pioneers of Biological Psychiatry


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DUKE OF WELLINGTON 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851DukeOfWellington.htm
  6. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 19). Emigrants to Australia NSW 1860 -88 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/nsw_passenger_lists_1860_88.pdf


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