Family name origins & meanings
- English : occupational name for a roofer, from Old French co(u)vreur, an agent derivative of co(u)vrir ‘to cover’ (Latin cooperire). Roofing materials in the Middle Ages might be tiles (see Tyler), slates (see Slater), or thatch (see Thatcher), depending on the regional availability of suitable materials.
- English (of Norman origin) : occupational name for a maker of barrels and tubs, from an agent derivative of Middle English, Old French cuve ‘vat’, ‘tub’ (Late Latin cupa, of Germanic origin; compare Cooper).
- Americanized spelling of German Kober.