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