The surname of Copley was a locational name 'of Copley' a hamlet in the township of Skircoat, in the parish of Halifax. Local surnames, by far the largest group, derived from a place name where the man held land or from the place from which he had come, or where he actually lived. These local surnames were originally preceded by a preposition such as 'de', 'atte', 'by' or 'in'. The name may derive from a manor held, from working in a religious dwelling of from literally living by a wood or marsh or by a stream. Following the Crusades in Europe a need was felt for a family name. This was recognised by those of noble blood, who realised the prestige and practical advantage it would add to their status. Early records of the name mention Robertus de Coplay, listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Robert Montague married Mary Eliabeth Copley at St. George's, Hanover Square, London in 1792. The portrait painter, John Singelton Copley (1738-1815) father of Lord Lyngdurst, came of a Yorkshire family who had settled in Ireland in 1661. During the Middle Ages, when people were unable to read and write, signs were needed for all visual identification. For several centuries city streets in Britain were filled with signs of all kinds, public houses, tradesmen and even private house holders found them necessary. This was an age when there were no numbered houses, and an address was a descriptive phrase that made use of a convenient landmark. At this time, coats of arms came into being, for the practical reason that men went into battle heavily armed and were difficult to recognise. It became the custom for them to adorn their helmets with distinctive crests, and to paint their shields with animals and the like. Coats of arms accompanied the development of surnames, becoming hereditary in the same way.

The associated arms are recorded in Sir Bernard Burkes General Armory. Ulster King of Arms in 1884.

ARMS - Argent a cross moline sable thereon a martlet or

CREST - A griffin segreant argent ducally gorged and lined or

MOTTO - In Cruce Vinco / Through the cross I conquer