Surname Küpers - Meaning and Origin
all surnames with 'K'
Küpers: What does the surname Küpers mean?
The last name Küpers is a German surname of occupational origin, deriving from someone who worked as a cooper, or someone who works with metal containers, barrels, and other wooden casks. The K hip in the name is derived from the Middle Low German word ‘keper’, meaning cooper. Coopers, in the past, were skilled craftsmen who made and maintained barrels and casks.
The Küpers family was likely established in regions that are now part of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. Cooper was an extremely important job in these regions at that time, and the people who did this profession were highly respected. For this reason, many people with the name of Küpers would have had a positive reputation in their local areas.
The genetic origin of this name is derived from the Germanic language, which is part of the Indo-European language family. It is likely that the Küpers family both in the past, and today, have some Germanic roots.
Today, the Küpers surname is most commonly found in areas where German is the native language. The Küpers family is spread throughout the world, however, the highest concentration of people with this surname still occur in these areas. There is also a small presence of Küpers people in the United States, though this is much less common.
Order DNA origin analysisKüpers: Where does the name Küpers come from?
The last name Küpers is most commonly found in countries in and around Germany and the Low Countries. The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Poland are the main countries where the last name Küpers can be found.
The spelling of the name Küpers varies from country to country. In Germany it is commonly spelled Küpers, in the Netherlands Koopers, in Denmark Kupers or Kupeers, in Belgium Kuypers, in Luxembourg Kwerpers, in Austria Kufers, in Switzerland Kubers, in Liechtenstein Kufers and in Poland Kubers.
Küpers is derived from a trade related to the production and sale of copper. Copper was an important product and the last name became a self-adopted name meaning "copper-man" in Dutch. It has been suggested that the surname originated in the Low Countries.
The oldest Küpers trace back to the Netherlands and Germany in the 16th century. By 1881, an estimated 3,500 people in the Netherlands had the Küpers name. The name spread to other countries over time, especially through emigration.
In modern times, the surname Küpers can be found across Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. In the United States of America in 2019, there were an estimated 2,100 people who had the Küpers name, and about 1,400 in Canada.
Variations of the surname Küpers
Küpers is a surname of German and Dutch origin, originating from the Dutch word “koper” meaning "copper". Variations of the name Küpers include Koepers, Koppers, Kupers, Kuypers, and Küpfers.
In German, the double “u” is pronounced like an “ö” and the “ü” is pronounced like an “e” and can be spelled as Kupers, making this one of the more common spellings of the surname. This would explain why the double “u” may also be dropped and the “ü” replaces by an “e” making it Kuepers or Kepers.
The Dutch may be a bit different, using “oe” instead of the “u” so it could spell Koeper, Kopers, or Koopers. The “u” is occasionally used for the “oe” in Kupers and the “f” can be swapped in for the “p” which could lead to Küpfers or Kupfers, both acceptable spellings.
We might also see slight differences in spelling among the French as Kupaire or Kupairer. Italian records would show a Latin version like Kuparius, and Croatian or Czech speaking countries might spell it Kuparic.
Sub-variations could include Kupersz, Kopersz, or Kuppersz. But in all, Küpers is a commonly used name with a variety of spellings.
Famous people with the name Küpers
- Toni Kuepers: German football player.
- Jeroen Kuepers: Dutch footballer.
- Theo Kuepers: Dutch former road racing cyclist.
- Menno Kuepers: Dutch politician and mayor of the municipality Coevorden.
- Roger Kuepers: Former American basketball player.
- Bernhard Kuepers: German professor at the Free University of Berlin.
- Holger Kuepers: German actor.
- Karl Kuepers: German gold medal winner at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam.
- Alice Kuepers: German judoka.
- Karsten Küpers: German handball player.
- Thomas Kuepers: German football coach.
- Barbara Kuepers: German equestrian.
- Michael Kuepers: German mathematics professor.
- Ute Kuepers: German filmmaker and media artist
- Stephan Kuepers: German ice hockey player