NameCensus.

UK surname

Cooper

An occupational surname referring to a barrel maker or repairer.

In the 1881 census there were 72,708 people recorded with the Cooper surname, ranking it #30 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 99,221, ranked #32, down from #30 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include New Forest, Leeds and Bolsover.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cooper is 104,014 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 36.5%.

1881 census count

72,708

Ranked #30

Modern count

99,221

2016, ranked #32

Peak year

1999

104,014 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cooper had 72,708 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #30 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 99,221 in 2016, ranked #32.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 96,180 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Cooper surname distribution map

The map shows where the Cooper surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Cooper surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cooper over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 48,643 #28
1861 historical 50,787 #29
1881 historical 72,708 #30
1891 historical 80,258 #29
1901 historical 91,401 #30
1911 historical 96,180 #27
1997 modern 98,751 #31
1998 modern 103,651 #31
1999 modern 104,014 #31
2000 modern 103,516 #31
2001 modern 100,794 #31
2002 modern 102,759 #31
2003 modern 100,076 #32
2004 modern 99,971 #32
2005 modern 98,130 #32
2006 modern 97,672 #32
2007 modern 98,182 #32
2008 modern 98,576 #32
2009 modern 100,801 #31
2010 modern 102,591 #32
2011 modern 101,273 #32
2012 modern 98,908 #32
2013 modern 100,489 #32
2014 modern 101,226 #32
2015 modern 99,981 #32
2016 modern 99,221 #32

Geography

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Where Coopers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Lambeth and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to New Forest, Leeds, Bolsover and Walsall. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 New Forest 001 New Forest
2 Leeds 110 Leeds
3 Bolsover 007 Bolsover
4 New Forest 011 New Forest
5 Walsall 036 Walsall

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cooper

These lists show first names that appear often with the Cooper surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cooper

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Cooper, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Cooper surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Cooper household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Cooper is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Cooper is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Cooper falls in decile 6 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

6
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Cooper is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Cooper, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Cooper

The surname Cooper has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is an occupational surname, derived from the Old English word "cupere," meaning someone who made casks, buckets, and other wooden vessels. Coopers were skilled craftsmen who constructed and repaired these containers, which were essential for storing and transporting goods like wine, ale, and other liquids.

The earliest known record of the surname Cooper dates back to 1275, when a Richard le Cupere was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. This is one of the earliest surviving public records in England, and its inclusion of the name suggests that the occupation of cooper was already well-established by that time.

In the 14th century, the surname Cooper appeared in various forms, such as le Cuper, Cowper, and Couper, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One notable mention is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Walter le Cupere is listed as holding property in Oxfordshire.

Throughout the medieval period, coopers played a vital role in the production and trade of alcoholic beverages, particularly in areas with thriving breweries and vineyards. The demand for their skills ensured that the surname Cooper remained prevalent across England.

One of the earliest recorded Coopers was William Cooper, born around 1390 in Leicestershire. He is mentioned in historical records as a prominent cooper and landowner in the region.

Another notable figure was John Cooper, a cooper from London who lived in the late 15th century. He is renowned for his work on the construction of the famous Nonsuch Palace, built by Henry VIII in Surrey between 1538 and 1545.

In the 16th century, the surname Cooper gained further prominence with the rise of the British Navy. Thomas Cooper, born around 1520 in Devon, was a master cooper who supplied the Royal Navy with high-quality casks and barrels for storing provisions and gunpowder on ships.

During the 17th century, the surname Cooper continued to be associated with skilled craftsmen, such as Richard Cooper, a cooper from Nottinghamshire, who is recorded as having supplied casks to the East India Company in the 1680s.

As the Cooper trade spread across the British Empire, the surname became widespread in various colonies, including North America and Australia. One notable figure was James Cooper, born in 1753 in Pennsylvania, who established a successful cooperage business and played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War as a supply contractor for the Continental Army.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cooper families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cooper surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 8,050 Coopers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.13x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 8,050 1.13x
Yorkshire 7,422 1.05x
Lancashire 6,700 0.79x
Staffordshire 5,224 2.18x
Surrey 4,682 1.35x
Hampshire 2,794 1.92x
Warwickshire 2,717 1.52x
Kent 2,566 1.06x
Cheshire 2,233 1.42x
Derbyshire 2,012 1.81x
Norfolk 1,954 1.79x
Suffolk 1,638 1.89x
Essex 1,589 1.13x
Leicestershire 1,482 1.88x
Nottinghamshire 1,457 1.52x
Sussex 1,414 1.18x
Worcestershire 1,386 1.49x
Durham 1,351 0.64x
Gloucestershire 1,286 0.92x
Lincolnshire 1,160 1.02x
Bedfordshire 1,034 2.81x
Aberdeenshire 891 1.35x
Northamptonshire 805 1.20x
Lanarkshire 796 0.35x
Oxfordshire 765 1.74x
Berkshire 743 1.39x
Somerset 724 0.63x
Shropshire 657 1.07x
Hertfordshire 651 1.33x
Wiltshire 566 0.90x
Cambridgeshire 537 1.19x
Northumberland 476 0.45x
Devon 440 0.30x
Buckinghamshire 422 0.98x
Midlothian 389 0.41x
Angus 335 0.51x
Glamorgan 320 0.26x
Dorset 286 0.61x
Huntingdonshire 285 2.02x
Monmouthshire 241 0.47x
Herefordshire 216 0.74x
Cumberland 215 0.35x
Fife 132 0.31x
Orkney 126 1.61x
Ayrshire 124 0.23x
Dunbartonshire 118 0.62x
Westmorland 114 0.73x
Renfrewshire 106 0.19x
Flintshire 81 0.42x
Kincardineshire 81 0.94x
Cornwall 80 0.10x
Denbighshire 70 0.26x
Stirlingshire 70 0.27x
Rutland 65 1.25x
Isle of Man 62 0.47x
Shetland 62 0.85x
Royal Navy 61 0.72x
Channel Islands 60 0.28x
Banffshire 56 0.38x
Perthshire 51 0.16x
Carmarthenshire 43 0.14x
Brecknockshire 37 0.26x
Kirkcudbrightshire 30 0.29x
Pembrokeshire 29 0.13x
West Lothian 27 0.25x
Morayshire 26 0.24x
Clackmannanshire 24 0.41x
Caernarfonshire 21 0.07x
Montgomeryshire 21 0.13x
Wigtownshire 20 0.21x
Inverness-shire 19 0.09x
Caithness 18 0.19x
Argyllshire 15 0.08x
Roxburghshire 14 0.11x
Berwickshire 11 0.13x
Radnorshire 11 0.19x
Peeblesshire 10 0.30x
Dumfriesshire 9 0.06x
Ross-shire 8 0.04x
Kinross-shire 5 0.28x
Sutherland 4 0.07x
Buteshire 3 0.07x
East Lothian 3 0.03x
Nairnshire 3 0.14x
Selkirkshire 3 0.05x
Merionethshire 2 0.02x
Cardiganshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Birmingham in Warwickshire leads with 954 Coopers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.60x.

Place Total Index
Birmingham 954 1.60x
Lambeth 840 1.36x
Islington London 813 1.18x
Aston 701 1.42x
St Pancras London 675 1.18x
Camberwell 609 1.34x
Stoke Upon Trent 590 2.32x
Hackney London 503 1.26x
Bethnal Green London 446 1.44x
Leicester St Margaret 428 2.23x
Walsall Foreign 423 3.41x
Manchester 378 1.00x
Kensington London 377 0.95x
St Marylebone London 373 0.98x
West Ham 350 1.13x
Nottingham St Mary 346 1.40x
Shoreditch London 344 1.12x
Croydon 338 1.76x
Wolverhampton 335 1.82x
Mile End Old Town London 318 2.10x
Sheffield 303 1.35x
Battersea 302 1.15x
Bermondsey 298 1.41x
Oldham 292 1.07x
Newington 290 1.10x
Leeds 287 0.72x
Portsea 287 1.01x
Kingswinford 281 3.23x
Paddington London 270 1.03x
West Bromwich 270 1.97x
Brighton 261 1.08x
Brightside Bierlow 259 1.88x
Over Darwen 252 3.74x
Wolstanton 243 3.34x
St George Hanover Square 242 1.93x
Salford 240 0.97x
Blackburn 232 1.03x
Clerkenwell London 222 1.32x
Barony 212 0.36x
Lewisham 204 1.58x
Liverpool 204 0.40x
Chelsea London 202 0.94x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 199 1.62x
Preston 198 0.88x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 194 0.51x
Dudley 193 1.71x
Poplar London 191 1.42x
Tipton 189 2.57x
Hammersmith London 187 1.07x
Aberdeen Old Machar 186 1.35x
Ashton Under Lyne 180 0.98x
Hampstead London 180 1.63x
Holy Trinity 176 1.04x
Southwark St George Martyr 175 1.22x
Bromley London 174 1.11x
West Derby 174 0.71x
Burslem 172 2.50x
Glossop Dale 171 3.28x
Harborne 168 2.19x
Kidderminster Borough 168 3.09x
Hulme 166 0.94x
Nether Hallam 166 1.74x
Deptford St Paul 159 0.85x
Everton 158 0.59x
Luton 157 2.46x
Govan 151 0.27x
Westbury On Severn East 149 4.73x
Macclesfield 147 2.11x
Westminster St John 145 1.68x
Maidstone 143 1.98x
Tottenham 143 1.26x
Greenwich 138 1.22x
Great Bolton 137 1.23x
Heigham 137 2.34x
Rowley Regis 137 2.05x
Bradford 136 0.80x
Little Bolton 133 1.23x
Toxteth Park 133 0.47x
Dundee 132 0.54x
Royton 130 5.04x
Shillington 130 23.99x
Bilston 128 2.75x
Ecclesall Bierlow 128 0.89x
Ecclesfield 128 2.48x
Willenhall 128 2.85x
Bishopwearmouth 127 0.70x
Chorlton On Medlock 127 0.95x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Cooper surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 4,410
Elizabeth 2,624
Sarah 2,608
Ann 1,412
Jane 1,230
Eliza 1,225
Emma 1,165
Alice 1,078
Annie 1,017
Ellen 968
Emily 877
Hannah 825
Martha 643
Harriet 542
Louisa 477
Fanny 464
Charlotte 461
Margaret 456
Maria 450
Florence 427
Edith 418
Caroline 404
Ada 397
Clara 326
Kate 309
Catherine 283
Lucy 282
Agnes 271
Susan 256
Frances 254
Anne 244
Harriett 235
Amelia 231
Rose 210
Matilda 208
Esther 170
Rebecca 168
Isabella 154
Elizth. 142
Minnie 141
Sophia 140
Susannah 137
Amy 129
Jessie 123
Laura 120
Gertrude 115
Eleanor 112
Lydia 109
Ruth 109
Julia 108

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Cooper surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 4,366
John 3,782
George 2,626
Thomas 2,415
James 2,153
Charles 1,647
Henry 1,445
Joseph 1,333
Alfred 800
Arthur 770
Edward 757
Samuel 755
Robert 742
Frederick 627
Walter 496
Richard 484
Albert 449
Harry 424
Herbert 301
Frank 294
Ernest 271
David 246
Edwin 226
Benjamin 225
Wm. 212
Francis 175
Fred 141
Thos. 140
Isaac 132
Daniel 125
Tom 104
Stephen 103
Geo. 92
Sidney 83
Percy 81
Fredk. 74
Chas. 73
Edmund 73
Fredrick 67
Matthew 61
Peter 61
Leonard 57
Philip 57
Jesse 56
Jonathan 56
Abraham 55
Mark 53
Christopher 48
Edgar 47
Willm. 45

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Cooper households.

FAQ

Cooper surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cooper surname in 1881?

In 1881, 72,708 people were recorded with the Cooper surname. That placed it at #30 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cooper surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 99,221 in 2016. That gives Cooper a modern rank of #32.

What does the Cooper surname mean?

An occupational surname referring to a barrel maker or repairer.

What does the Cooper map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Cooper bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.