William Cope

(male) Probably the most successful of all the Old French names of Germanic origin that were introduced to England by the Normans. It is derived from Germanic wil ‘will, desire’ + helm ‘helmet, protection’. The fact that it was borne by the Conqueror himself does not seem to have inhibited its favour with the ‘conquered’ population: in the first century after the Conquest it was the commonest male name of all, and not only among the Normans. In the later Middle Ages it was overtaken by John, but continued to run second to that name until the 20th century, when the picture became more fragmented.

English (common in the Midlands): from Middle English cope ‘cloak’, ‘cape’ (from Old English cāp reinforced by the Old Norse cognate kápa), hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who made cloaks or capes, or a nickname for someone who wore a distinctive one. Compare Cape.