Cooper
An occupational surname for a barrel, tub, or cask maker.
The #70 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,100 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Cooper comes from the craft of making wooden containers such as barrels, tubs, and casks. The surname developed from the occupational noun, with Middle English forms like cooper and earlier Germanic words behind it; one older explanation connects it with an Old English verb meaning to cover or enclose. In practice, it simply identified the person who made or repaired casks and similar vessels.
History
It is one of the classic English occupational surnames and appears early in medieval records. Because the trade was widespread and important in everyday life, the name became common across England and later spread widely in Britain, North America, and other English-speaking regions. The surname is also strongly represented as a given-name surname in later centuries, though the origin remains the same craft term.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The related word "cooperage" still means the business or craft of making wooden casks and barrels.
From the historical record
“COOIMES. See Coombe. COOPER. The occupation — a maker of barrels, tubs, &c. ; originally from coop, to keep or contain anything, whether wine in a cask, or a hen in her prison. A-Sax. Itepan, ccpan. See Cowper. Le Coupere, Couimre, Cuparius, &c., H.R. COPE. In Domesd. signifies a bill. Bailey's Diet. COPEiNIAN. 1 .…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom