Explore the Family Name Cooper
The meaning of Cooper
1. English: occupational name for a maker and repairer of wooden vessels such as barrels, tubs, buckets, casks, and vats, from Middle English couper, cowper (apparently from Middle Dutch kūper, a derivative of kūp ‘tub, container’, which was borrowed independently into English as coop). The prevalence of the surname, its cognates, and equivalents bears witness to the fact that this was one of the chief specialist trades in the Middle Ages throughout Europe. In North America, the English surname has absorbed some cases of like-sounding cognates from other languages, for example Dutch Kuiper. 2. Americanized form of Jewish (Ashkenazic) Kupfer and Kupper (see Kuper). 3. Dutch: occupational name for a buyer or merchant, Middle Dutch coper.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Cooper in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Cooper showed a slight decline in popularity from 2000 to 2010, moving down six places in rank from 64th to 70th. Despite this decrease in rank, the actual count of people with the Cooper surname increased by approximately 4 percent over the decade, rising from 270,097 in 2000 to 280,791 in 2010. However, the proportion per 100,000 people decreased by nearly 5 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #64 | #70 | -9.38% |
| Count | 270,097 | 280,791 | 3.96% |
| Proportion per 100k | 100.12 | 95.19 | -4.92% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cooper
Turning to ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows an interesting shift for those bearing the surname Cooper between 2000 and 2010. The percentage identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, Hispanic, and Black saw increases, with the largest being a 55.84 percent increase in Hispanic identity. Conversely, the percentage identifying as White and American Indian and Alaskan Native saw decreases, with the former dropping by 3.45 percent. It's important to note that despite these shifts, the majority of individuals with the surname Cooper still identified as White, at 67.93 percent in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 70.36% | 67.93% | -3.45% |
| Black | 25.26% | 26.13% | 3.44% |
| Hispanic | 1.54% | 2.4% | 55.84% |
| Two or More Races | 1.69% | 2.31% | 36.69% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.76% | 0.74% | -2.63% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.4% | 0.5% | 25% |
Cooper ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Cooper is British & Irish, which comprises 51.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (21.0%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (5.1%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Nigerian, Italian, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 51.3% |
| French & German | 21.0% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 5.1% |
| Other | 22.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Cooper
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Cooper have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 82.60% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 82.50% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 82.30% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 82.20% |
What Cooper haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Cooper is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-L21, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Smith, Brown, Green, Taylor, White, Thompson, Wilson, Walker, Clark, Robinson.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Cooper surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Cooper have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Cooper" Surname 42.2%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Cooper" Surname 26.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Cooper" Surname 23.1%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Cooper" Surname 19.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Cooper?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Cooper are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition