Surname Coapes - Meaning and Origin
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Coapes: What does the surname Coapes mean?
The surname Coapes is an old English habitational name, deriving from a place in Yorkshire, England. The earliest recording of the surname is in 1379 when it was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word co(p)a, which means hut or cottage. It is also possible that it could have been derived from the Middle English word cop, which means head. The surnames Copp and Coppock may also be derivatives of this word, as may the variants Coaps, Coapes, Coapman, and Copson.
The Coapes family has a long history and can be found all over the world. From the early English settlers to the present day, the Coapes surname has a rich heritage and can be traced back to a small village in Yorkshire. As the family has expanded and traveled over the centuries, the original meaning of the name is no longer certain, but it holds a unique significance to those who bear it.
The coat of arms of the Coapes family features a silver shield with two black wolf heads and a black chevron. The crest depicts a black wolf's head which holds a cross-staff topped with a red St George's Cross. The family motto is “In tempore securi.” The phrase roughly translates to “in time of peace” and speaks to the family’s commitment to peace and unity.
The Coapes surname is an important part of the histories of many families across the world. It is an old English name that has been carried down from generation to generation and speaks to the courage and integrity of its bearers.
Order DNA origin analysisCoapes: Where does the name Coapes come from?
The last name Coapes is most commonly found in the United Kingdom. The data from the United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics (ONS), which collects and records information about family surnames, shows that Coapes is an uncommon but not rare last name. Currently, around 588 individuals living in England and Wales carry the Coapes surname. The highest concentration of the name is found in Wiltshire, followed by Dorset and London.
Low numbers of Coapes can also be found in Scotland, where it is a mostly localized name near the southwest Scottish coastal areas that border England. In the United States, the surname Coapes is quite rare with only a few people carrying the name on record.
The surname Coapes is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word "Cop" that means top or summit. This is because the family may have had its origins near the tops of hills or mountains. Alternatively, some genealogists believe the surname may have derived from the Welsh word "Ceub" or the Scottish Gaelic word "Caob" which both mean a cove or inlet of a sea.
The Coapes family has a long and interesting history. Perhaps one of the most famous Coapes was George Coapes, who commanded the HMS Lion during the Battle of Newfoundland in 1782, during the American Revolutionary War.
Today, the Coapes are mostly settled in the UK, though there are some individuals with the surname that have immigrated in search of a better life.
Variations of the surname Coapes
The surname Coapes is derived from an Old English name, Copus. Variations, spellings and surnames of the same origin include Coap, Coope, Coops, Coopman, Coopmans, Copes and Cope.
Coape was first recorded in 1219 and is known to have been derived from an Old English word ‘cop’ meaning ‘head’. The name itself is thought to have been the name of the head of a manor or an area of land, made up of a number of freehold estates. This is why Coape appears mainly in the East Midlands of England and can be found in parish records from the 1500s onwards.
Variations of the name Coapes include Coap, Copes, Coope, Coops and Coopman with variations often found in records from different periods of history, depending on dialect and pronunciation. It is likely that over time the spelling and pronunciation of the name varied, leading to a variety of surnames being derived from the same origin.
This is exemplified by the name Cope. Derived from the Old English ‘Copus’, this was recorded from 1275, again denoting a head of a manor. The name Coopman was first recorded in 17th century London and is thought to have derived from the collective noun ‘copperman’, which is a rough-hewn version of ‘cooperative man’.
In summary, Coapes is an Old English surname deriving from Copus, which is translated as ‘head of the estate’. There are numerous spellings and surnames that have come from the same origin and could be used by people looking to trace their family tree.
Famous people with the name Coapes
- Christopher Coapes: British actor and producer best known for his work in the series Killing Eve and various other films and television shows.
- John Coapes: former professional athlete who is best remembered for his rugby career with the British Lions in the early 1900s.
- Allen Coapes: Canadian naturalist and photographer, who documented nature for more than 30 years and was published in various magazines and newspapers.
- W. Robertson Coapes: Indian tea planter and collector of botanical specimens in the nineteenth century.
- Estelle Coapes: American singer songwriter who became a prominent figure in the San Francisco music scene in the '70s and '80s.
- Will Coapes: Award-winning English screenwriter, best known for his work in the Academy Award-winning film Shakespeare in Love.
- Freya Coapes: Canadian politician who served as the first female Member of Parliament from British Columbia.
- Alfred Coapes: British World War I soldier who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroic actions in the Battle of Cambrai.
- James Coapes: British architect who designed numerous municipal buildings throughout the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
- Trinity Coapes: American photographer and street artist, known for her vibrant and colorful images of both urban and rural landscapes.