kopels

Kopels is a term with multiple, context-dependent meanings. There is no single, widely accepted definition in mainstream reference works. In onomastic contexts, Kopels appears as a surname found among Jewish and Central European families. Surname historians typically trace Kopels to a patronymic formation from a given name such as Koppel or Koppo, with the addition of an -s suffix that appears in various Germanic and Yiddish-influenced naming patterns. Records of the name date from the 18th and 19th centuries in several countries and in emigrant communities in North America.

In fictional or constructed-language contexts, Kopels is used as the plural form of a noun kopel in an imagined language called Kopelish. In that setting, kopel may designate a kin-group, household, or social unit, and kopels would thus refer to multiple such units. The term is sometimes used in worldbuilding to illustrate family structures, social organization, or demographic terms in a created culture.

As a toponym or brand, Kopels may appear in maps or place-name lists in fictional works or as a surname-derived place name in localized contexts. The exact meaning depends on the source material.

See also: Koppel, Kopel, Koppler.