| Cooper | Ralph | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Barrel maker | counsel wolf |
| Origin | English | english |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | KOO-per | RALF |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1882 | 0 |
| Peak year | 2025 (7,472) | 1921 (8,860) |
| In 2025 | 7,472 | 0 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Vintage |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Cooper | Ralph |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 33,528 | 1,113 |
| 2010s | 49,273 | 1,978 |
| 2000s | 32,438 | 2,779 |
| 1990s | 6,274 | 4,474 |
| 1980s | 1,020 | 7,998 |
| 1970s | 238 | 14,755 |
| 1960s | 155 | 34,190 |
| 1950s | 118 | 60,440 |
| 1940s | 117 | 64,983 |
| 1930s | 135 | 63,802 |
| 1920s | 172 | 84,466 |
| 1910s | 163 | 52,522 |
| 1900s | 20 | 9,298 |
| 1890s | 21 | 6,951 |
| 1880s | 30 | 4,269 |
Cooper is an English occupational surname for a maker of barrels and casks.
Contracted from the Germanic/Old Norse name Radulf (Radulfr, Old English Raedwulf), combining 'rad' ('counsel, advice') and 'wulf/ulfr' ('wolf'), hence 'counsel wolf'.
Cooper is more popular than Ralph today: about 7,472 US babies were given the name Cooper in 2025, compared with 0 named Ralph.
Cooper means Barrel maker (English origin), while Ralph means counsel wolf (english origin).
In US records, Cooper first appears in 1882 and Ralph in 0, so Ralph has the longer recorded history.