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Cooper Family History

Cooper Name Meaning

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 kuper, a derivative of kup ‘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 America, the English name has absorbed some cases of like-sounding cognates and words with similar meaning in other European languages, for example Dutch Kuiper. Jewish (Ashkenazic): Americanized form of Kupfer and Kupper (see Kuper). Dutch: occupational name for a buyer or merchant, Middle Dutch coper.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Hooper, Copper, Boozer, Comer, Booker, Couper, Coomer, Coover

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Where is the Cooper family from?

You can see how Cooper families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Cooper family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Cooper families were found in the UK in 1891. In 1911 there were 3,200 Cooper families living in Ontario. This was about 57% of all the recorded Cooper's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Cooper families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Cooper surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Cooper ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the CA named Cooper. 29% of Cooper men worked as a Farmer and 11% of Cooper women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Cooper were Carpenter and Income.

View Census data for Cooper | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations in 1921

  • Farmer
    29%
  • Labourer
    9%
  • Laborer
    7%
  • Carpenter
    4%

Top Female Occupations in 1921

  • Housekeeper
    11%
  • Stenographer
    10%
  • Clerk
    9%
  • Income
    8%
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What Cooper family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 2 million census records available for the last name Cooper. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Cooper census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Cooper

Passenger Lists

There are 244,000 immigration records available for the last name Cooper. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 321,000 military records available for the last name Cooper. For the veterans among your Cooper ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Cooper lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Cooper life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Cooper in 1940 was 45, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Cooper

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