Coppola History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

Sicily, one of the oldest and most beautiful island regions of Italy, is the esteemed birthplace of numerous prominent families, including the family that bears the surname Coppola. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most common type of family name found in Sicily is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's givenname, names derived from occupations are also found. Occupational surnames, which are less common than other types of surnames in Italy, date back to the feudal era. However, under the Feudal System, occupational names did not become hereditary until the offices themselves became hereditary. It was only after an occupation was inherited by several generations in lineal descent that occupational names came to be applied to entire families, and so became a hereditary surname. The surname Coppola is an occupational name for a maker of "coppolas," which are a type of hat. The Italian word "coppola" literally means little round hat in the Neapolitan dialect. The name Coppola could have also been a nickname type of surname given to a someone who frequently wore a "coppola."

Early Origins of the Coppola family

The surname Coppola was first found in the 11th century, at Amalfi, a coastal town south of Naples.

Early History of the Coppola family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coppola research. The years 1450 and 1628 are included under the topic Early Coppola History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coppola Spelling Variations

There are many variations of most of those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. Some of these come from regional differences, like the tradition of ending northern names in "o" and southern names in "i". Others come from inaccuracies in the recording process, which were extremely common in the eras before dictionaries standardized spelling. Some of the spelling variations of Coppola are Coppola, Coppolelli, Coppoli, Coppoletta, Coppoletti, Coppolino, Coppolecchia, Coppolone and many more.

Early Notables of the Coppola family

Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was

many bishops, including Marco, Ercole, Nicola, and Francesco Coppola...
Taddeo and Bernardo Coppola were senators in Messina...
Other notable bearers of the Coppola surname from this era include Francesco Coppoli, a politician in Perugia during the 14th century, Giovanni Andrea Coppola, a doctor in Naples in the 15th century, Fortun...

Coppola Ranking

In the United States, the name Coppola is the 4,501^st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Coppola is ranked the 7,868^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2

Coppola migration to the United States +

An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Coppola:

Coppola Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Alfonso Coppola, aged 41, who settled in America from Tarremaggiore, in 1907
Amadio Coppola, aged 35, who immigrated to the United States from Qualiseco, Italy, in 1907
Amodio Coppola, aged 37, who immigrated to the United States from Qualiano, Italy, in 1909
Alfonso M. Coppola, aged 28, who landed in America from Aquilonio, Italy, in 1909
Adelina Coppola, aged 14, who immigrated to the United States from Shiano, Italy, in 1909
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Coppola (post 1700) +

Sofia Carmina Coppola (b. 1971), American screenwriter, film director, actress
Francis Ford Coppola (b. 1939), American film director, producer and screenwriter
Francis Ford Coppola (b. 1939), American multiple award winning film director, producer, screenwriter, film composer, and vintner
Antonio Francesco "Anton" Coppola (1917-2020), American opera conductor and composer, uncle of film director Francis Ford Coppola
Henry Peter Coppola (1912-1990), American pitcher in Major League Baseball
Brian P. Coppola (b. 1957), chemistry professor at the University of Michigan
Sam Coppola (b. 1935), American actor
Thomas Wilkinson Coppola (b. 1945), American pianist and arranger
Gian-Carlo Coppola (1963-1986), American film producer
Maestro Anton Coppola (b. 1917), renowned American opera conductor and composer
... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/