Cover
An English surname that likely began as an occupational name for someone who covered or made coverings, though it may also be linked to places and game-preserves.
The #8,858 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 83,467 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Cover is most plausibly from an occupational nickname based on Middle English coveren / Old English verbs meaning “to cover” or “protect.” Historical surname writers also connect it with French cuver / couvrir-type occupational words for someone who makes or applies coverings, especially in building trades. A place-name source is also possible in some cases, since old records show surnames like de Cover and related forms in different counties.
History
Early records in English medieval sources show spellings such as le Cover and related variants, which fits an occupational surname pattern. Later surname dictionaries also note forms like Coverdale and Covert, though those may have separate or partly overlapping origins. The modern surname is not very common in the United States, but it survives in England and North America.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes grouped Cover with other “covering” trades such as thatchers, tilers, and shinglers, showing how broad medieval occupational naming could be.
From the historical record
“wick. COVER. 1. A place where game is pre- served. 2. Couirr, a domestic connected with a court kitchen. Halliw. COVERDALE. Perhaps from Cuerdale, a township in Lancashire. COVERT. " Coverts," says Nelson, " are those woods which are thickets, and full of trees toucliing one another .... a covering or hiding-place…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom