Show ContentsCowperthwaite Surname History

  • Origins Available:
  • England
Extended Surname History Download (PDF) - Letter Size

Extended Surname History Download (PDF) - Letter Size

Etymology of Cowperthwaite

What does the name Cowperthwaite mean?

The Cowperthwaite name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the village of Cowperthwaite, which was one of several local names with the ending thwaite in the district of North Lancashire. This ending was common in the counties of Cumberland and Westminster.

Early Origins of the Cowperthwaite family

The surname Cowperthwaite was first found in Cumberland where they held a family seat from very ancient times, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Cowperthwaite family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cowperthwaite research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1830 is included under the topic Early Cowperthwaite History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cowperthwaite Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Cowperthwaite has undergone many spelling variations, including Cowperthwaite, Couperthwaite, Cowperthwait, Couperthwait, Copperthwaite and many more.

Early Notables of the Cowperthwaite family

  • Cowperthwaites of Furness

Cowperthwaite migration to Canada +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Cowperthwaite were among those contributors:

Cowperthwaite Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Hugh Cowperthwaite U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Cowperthwaite (post 1700) +

  • John K. Cowperthwaite (1787-1873), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Camden, New Jersey, 1844-45; Defeated, 1854; Magistrate and judge of Camden County Court 2
  • James Cowperthwaite, American politician, Member of New Jersey State Senate from Ocean County, 1854-56 3
  • G. W. Cowperthwaite, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Ocean County, 1868-69 3
  • John Cowperthwaite, English designer of automobiles
  • Sir John James Cowperthwaite, Financial Secretary of Hong Kong from 1961 to 1971
  • Peter Cowperthwaite Godsoe BSc, MBA, OC OOnt OJ (1938-2023), Canadian businessman and President, Chairman and Chief executive officer of the Bank of Nova Scotia from 1992 to 2003
  • Thomas Cowperthwaite Eakins (1844-1916), American painter, photographer and sculptor
  1. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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