Contents [hide]

Cowper History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Cowper History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The Scottish name Cowper is a habitational name thought to be taken on from the place name Cupar in Fife, which is probably of Pictish origin, with an unknown meaning. As an English name Cowper was occupational for a cooper, that is, a maker of barrels.

Early Origins of the Cowper family

The surname Cowper was first found in Fife, where Salomone de Cupir witnessed a charter in 1245. The name soon became known in other parts of Scotland, and in Cumberland where families held a family seat at Carleton Hall and Unthank. 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. The name, also, is common in early Fife records from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, additional evidence of its local origin." 1

Early History of the Cowper family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cowper research. Another 227 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1281, 1296, 1329, 1370, 1376, 1406, 1426, 1468, 1477, 1568, 1613, 1619, 1634, 1664, 1672, 1705, 1723, 1731, 1800 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cowper History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cowper Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Coupar, Cooper, Cowper, Couper, Copper and others.

Early Notables of the Cowper family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

William Cowper (1568-1619), son of a merchant tailor in Edinburgh, who became Bishop of Galloway
William Cowper (1664-1723), English jurist, created 1st Earl Cowper, and made lord keeper of the great seal in 1705

Migration of the Cowper family to Ireland

Some of the Cowper family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cowper migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cowper Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Cowper, (Couper), who arrived in Jamestown, Virginia aboard the ship "Discovery" in 1607
Johanna Cowper, who settled in Virginia in 1622
William Cowper, who landed in New England in 1633 2
Alveryn Cowper, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Bonaventure" coming via St. Domingo 2
Philip Cowper, who landed in Maryland in 1650 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cowper Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Samuel Cowper, who landed in Virginia in 1714 2
John Cowper, who arrived in Virginia in 1716 2
Grace Cowper, who settled in Maryland in 1720
John Cowper, who settled in Maryland in 1732
Basil Cowper, who arrived in Savannah, Georgia sometime between 1774 and 1775

Cowper Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Cowper, who was naturalized in New York, NY in 1827
Enrique Augustus Cowper, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1861 2

Cowper migration to Australia +

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

Cowper Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Cowper, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Caspar" in 1849 3
Miss Mary Cowper who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 25th October 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Cowper migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cowper Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Mary Cowper, (b. 1817), aged 43, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 5
Mr. John Cowper, (b. 1826), aged 34, British farm labourer travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 5
Mr. Henry Cowper, (b. 1851), aged 9, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 5
Mr. John Cowper, (b. 1854), aged 6, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 5
Miss Ann Cowper, (b. 1858), aged 2, British settler travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd December 1860 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cowper (post 1700) +

Steve Camberling Cowper (b. 1938), American politician, 6th Governor of Alaska from 1986 to 1990
William W. Cowper, American politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate, 1829-32, 1834-37 6
Steve Camberling Cowper (b. 1938), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Alaska State House of Representatives, 1975-78; Governor of Alaska, 1986-90 6
Rose Cowper, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wyoming, 1944 6
Mr. Robert Cowper, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1571 to 1572
Mr. John Cowper, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1476 to 1477
Edward Alfred Cowper (1819-1893), British mechanical engineer, recipient of the Elliott Cresson Medal of The Franklin Institute in 1889 7
Sir Charles Cowper (1807-1875), Australian politician, 2nd Premier of the Colony of New South Wales on several occasions between 1856 and 1870, born at Dryford, Lancashire, 26 April 1807, son of William Cowper, the Archdeacon of New South Wales 7
Peter Poole Cowper (1902-1962), English professional footballer
Geraldine "Gerry" Cowper (b. 1958), English actress, best known for her role as Rosie Miller in EastEnders
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Cowper family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Ernest Sedgwick Cowper, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 13 8

The Cowper Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virtute
Motto Translation: Virtue

Citations +

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)
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CASPAR 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Caspar.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/

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