Covey
An English surname most likely tied to a place-name or word for a covert, den, or sheltered spot.
The #4,212 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 36,694 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Covey is most likely connected with Middle English and Old French words like covert, meaning a hidden or sheltered place, especially a thicket, cover, or den. Historical name dictionaries also place it near forms such as Covert and Cover, suggesting it may have begun as a topographic name for someone living by a covert or in a secluded place. A few older writers also compared it with other short surnames beginning in Cov-, but the covert/cover explanation is the most plausible overall.
History
The name appears in English and Anglo-American records, and later surname writers treated it as part of a family of names connected with Covert and Cover. In some 19th-century works it was also loosely grouped with bird-related or habitat-related nicknames, but that is more a classificatory hint than a secure derivation. The surname is now best known in English-speaking countries, especially the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some old surname books link Covey to words for a sheltered place or covert, which gives the name a quietly “hidden woodland” feel.
From the historical record
“Sophia Covey IMPLEMENTS, TOOLS, COMMO”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom