Show ContentsCupp History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Pictish-Scottish family that first used the name Cupp lived in the place named Colp in Aberdeenshire.

Early Origins of the Cupp family

The surname Cupp was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland.

One of the first records of the family was Johannes Coup who was recorded there in Aberdeen in 1408. "A 'commone hande bell, with ale proffetis,' was granted to William Colp and his son, David Colp in the same town in 1503, and a payment was made in 1518 to Sir Andrew Cup, evidently a cleric." 1

Early History of the Cupp family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cupp research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the year 1408 is included under the topic Early Cupp History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cupp Spelling Variations

The arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. Cupp has been spelled Culp, Colp, Cup, Cope and others.

Early Notables of the Cupp family

More information is included under the topic Early Cupp Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cupp Ranking

In the United States, the name Cupp is the 4,159th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2


United States Cupp migration to the United States +

This oppression forced many Scots to leave their homelands. Most of these chose North America as their destination. Although the journey left many sick and poor, these immigrants were welcomed the hardy with great opportunity. Many of these settlers stood up for their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. More recently, Scots abroad have recovered much of their collective heritage through highland games and other patriotic functions and groups. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has located various settlers bearing the name Cupp:

Cupp Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Cupp, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 3
  • John Airhart Cupp, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1850 3
  • L Cupp, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Cupp (post 1700) +

  • Robert R. Cupp (b. 1950), American Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court sworn in on January 2, 2007
  • Sarah Elizabeth Cupp (b. 1979), American conservative political commentator and writer
  • James N. Cupp, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Marine Corps, during World War II, credited with 13 aerial victories
  • Wilton Benge Cupp, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Mayor of Covington, Kentucky, 1963, 1967, 1971; Candidate in primary for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, 1987 4
  • J. W. Cupp, American politician, Candidate in primary for Mayor of Covington, Kentucky, 1955 4
  • I. B. Cupp, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1912 4
  • Harry H. Cupp, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State Senate 12th District, 1964; Chair of Randolph County Republican Party, 1969-73 4
  • Gwendolyn D. Cupp, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Randolph County, 1966 4
  • David M. Cupp, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Ohio, 1928 4
  • Cecil Cupp, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arkansas, 1952 4


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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