Cooper History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  Netherlands 
  England 
  Scotland 
  Ireland 


Cooper is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a cooper, a person who made and repaired barrels, casks, and buckets. It was a trade highly valued in the Middle Ages, as the construction or waterproof containers was no easy task with the tools of the time.

Early Origins of the Cooper family

The surname Cooper was first found in Sussex but the name is "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." 1

The Pipe Rolls include some of the earliest records of the family: Robert (le) Cupere for Surrey (1176-7); ? le Cupers, Norfolk in 1181-2. 2

Early History of the Cooper family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cooper research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1552, 1586, 1606, 1608, 1609, 1610, 1621, 1626, 1627, 1631, 1659, 1660, 1672, 1683, 1689, 1731, 1797, 1800 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cooper History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cooper Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Cooper has appeared include Cooper, Cowper, Couper, Coupar and others.

Early Notables of the Cooper family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Cooper World Ranking

In the United States, the name Cooper is the 62nd most popular surname with an estimated 281,031 people with that name. 3 However, in Canada, the name Cooper is ranked the 114th most popular surname with an estimated 26,022 people with that name. 4 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Cooper is the 55th popular surname with an estimated 456 people with that name. 5 Australia ranks Cooper as 43rd with 41,912 people. 6 New Zealand ranks Cooper as 31st with 5,682 people. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Cooper as 32nd with 104,002 people. 8

Migration of the Cooper family to Ireland

Some of the Cooper family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.



Cooper migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Cooper arrived in North America very early:

Cooper Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Cooper Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Cooper Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Cooper Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Cooper migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cooper Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Cooper Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
Cooper Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Cooper migration to Australia +

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

Cooper Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Cooper Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Cooper 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:

Cooper Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Cooper migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 18
Cooper Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Cooper (post 1700) +





Suggested Readings for the name Cooper +





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