| Cole | Cooper | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | coal, swarthy, dark | Barrel maker |
| Origin | english | English |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KOHL | KOO-per |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1886 | 1882 |
| Peak year | 2002 (6,038) | 2025 (7,472) |
| In 2025 | 2,003 | 7,472 |
| Trend | Declining | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Cole | Cooper |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 14,823 | 33,528 |
| 2010s | 36,401 | 49,273 |
| 2000s | 56,846 | 32,438 |
| 1990s | 33,868 | 6,274 |
| 1980s | 8,722 | 1,020 |
| 1970s | 1,444 | 238 |
| 1960s | 703 | 155 |
| 1950s | 562 | 118 |
| 1940s | 224 | 117 |
| 1930s | 127 | 135 |
| 1920s | 156 | 172 |
| 1910s | 190 | 163 |
| 1900s | 16 | 20 |
| 1890s | 5 | 21 |
| 1880s | 6 | 30 |
Partly from Old English 'col' meaning 'coal', used as a nickname for someone of dark or swarthy complexion or black hair. Note: Cole can also be a short form of Nicholas, which is unrelated to 'dark', so the dark sense is one origin among two.
Cooper is an English occupational surname for a maker of barrels and casks.
Cooper is more popular than Cole today: about 7,472 US babies were given the name Cooper in 2025, compared with 2,003 named Cole.
Cole means coal, swarthy, dark (english origin), while Cooper means Barrel maker (English origin).
In US records, Cole first appears in 1886 and Cooper in 1882, so Cooper has the longer recorded history.