Cupp
Likely a nickname or occupational surname linked to a cup-bearer or cup maker.
The #4,853 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 42,509 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is most plausibly connected with the word for a cup or goblet, ultimately from Latin cupa and related medieval forms. Historical surname writers also linked it to cup-bearer terms such as Old French cupier/cupere, a servant who carried or served cups at table. In some cases it may also be a shortened form of names built from the same root, rather than a direct occupational label.
History
19th-century surname compilations place Cupp among names that could be associated with household objects or cup-related occupations, and one source explicitly derives it from a cup-bearer term. The name appears in English and Norman contexts in medieval records, suggesting an early presence in Britain. Because the spelling is short and common-word-like, some bearers may have independent or altered forms of the name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A related medieval title, cup-bearer, was an important court office, so a name like Cupp could once have implied real household status, not just a maker of drinking vessels.
From the historical record
“Roger le Cupere and many others, 1272 (RII). Norman families are included, 2. From Cupp.arias, or Cup-bearer fDu Cange). Two fa- milies of importance bore this name. See AsnLEV-Cooi'EK, and Cowper,”
— The Norman People and their existing descendants in the British dominions and the United States