2000
#3,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,439
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.13
Rare Last name
Coppola
An occupational Italian surname referring to a maker or seller of hats, derived from "coppola," meaning "cap."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,231 Americans carry the last name Coppola. That puts it at #4,258 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,131 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Coppola surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Coppola with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,131
Census rank
#4,258
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,050 bearers of the surname Coppola in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4258th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Coppola, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Coppola
The surname Coppola originated in Italy and is derived from the Italian word "coppola," which refers to a type of traditional flat cap or hat. The name likely emerged as a descriptive nickname or occupational name for someone who made or sold such caps.
Coppola is a common surname in southern Italy, particularly in the regions of Campania, Calabria, and Sicily. It can be traced back to the 12th century, with early records mentioning individuals with this surname in various parts of the Italian peninsula.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Coppola can be found in the 13th-century manuscript "Codice Diplomatico Barese," which contains records from the city of Bari in the Apulia region. This manuscript mentions a certain "Petrus Coppola" in 1252.
Another notable historical reference is the "Registri della Cancelleria Angioina," a collection of documents from the Angevin dynasty that ruled Naples in the 13th and 14th centuries. This collection includes several mentions of individuals with the surname Coppola, such as "Philippo Coppola" in 1302 and "Nicola Coppola" in 1326.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Coppola comes from the town of Grumo Nevano, near Naples, where a document dated 1345 mentions a "Nicola Coppola" as a landowner in the area.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Coppola, including:
1. Carmine Coppola (1910-1991), an Italian-American composer and musician, best known for his work in film scores.
2. Francis Ford Coppola (born 1939), the acclaimed American film director, producer, and screenwriter, known for films such as "The Godfather" trilogy, "Apocalypse Now," and "The Conversation."
3. Niccolò Coppola (1510-1589), an Italian painter and architect from the Renaissance period, active in Naples and Rome.
4. Gian Carlo Coppola (1615-1689), an Italian philosopher and theologian from the Baroque era, who taught at the University of Naples.
5. Vincenzo Coppola (1598-1659), an Italian composer and organist from Naples, known for his sacred music compositions.
While the name Coppola has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Italian migration and diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coppola
Among Census respondents with the surname Coppola, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Coppola bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Coppola surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 7,397
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 440
- Two or more races1.5% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 56
- Black or African American0.3% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Coppola
Coppola appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,091
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,676
+237 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.94
Rank movement Down 226 places
2020
#4,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,050
-626 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 2.69
Rank movement Down 167 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,865 | 8,439 | 3.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,091 | 8,676 | 2.94 | +237 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 226 places |
| 2020 | #4,258 | 8,050 | 2.69 | -626 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 167 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Coppola surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,091 | #4,258 | -4.1% |
| Count | 8,676 | 8,050 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.94 | 2.69 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Coppola bearers went from 8,676 to 8,050 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 167 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,091 to #4,258.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Coppola
FAQ
Coppola surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Coppola?
Name Census estimates that about 9,231 living Americans carry the surname Coppola. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,131 residents.
How common is Coppola?
Coppola ranks #4,258 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,050 people with the surname Coppola. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,231), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Coppola.
Has Coppola become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Coppola went from 8,676 recorded bearers to 8,050. That is a decrease of 626 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,091 to #4,258.
What does the Census say about the background of Coppola?
Among Census respondents with the surname Coppola, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Coppola in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (7,397 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Coppola appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (1.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Coppola (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Coppola mean?
An occupational Italian surname referring to a maker or seller of hats, derived from "coppola," meaning "cap." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Coppola (2.69 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Coppola?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.