Cooper vs Max
Cooper and Maxcompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Cooper was ranked #19 and Max #30 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Cooper was ranked #21 and Max #29 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Cooper was ranked #121 and Max #29 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Cooper was ranked #125 and Max #30 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Cooper was ranked #198 and Max #41 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Cooper was ranked #139 and Max #44 among boys in England and Wales.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2023, Cooper was ranked #4709 and Max #5687 among girls in England and Wales.
Cooper and Max over time
Cooper and Max appear together in 5 published lists, across 109 years of shared records. Max held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Cooper in 1.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Cooper reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Max in 2. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2023, Cooper moved ahead of Max in New Zealand · Boys — #27 and #25 the year before became #21 and #29.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Cooper and Max changed places 12 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1998 and 2025, ending at #19 and #30.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 28 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Cooper and Max averaged 6.6 places apart, ending at #19 and #30.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Northern Ireland · Boys within 2 years — Cooper #120 in 2017, Max #22 in 2015.
List by list
New South Wales, Australia · Boys28 shared years, 1998–2025
Cooper held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Max in 7.
Highest recorded here: Cooper #4 in 2009, Max #13 in 2014.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cooper #19, Max #30.
England and Wales · Boys27 shared years, 1997–2024
Cooper held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Max in 27.
Highest recorded here: Cooper #134 in 2019, Max #18 in 2012.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cooper #139, Max #44.
New Zealand · Boys18 shared years, 2006–2023
Cooper held the stronger position in 6 of those years, Max in 12.
Highest recorded here: Cooper #12 in 2012, Max #10 in 2016.
The order changed in 2023: Cooper moved ahead. In 2022 they stood at #27 and #25; by 2023 that had become #21 and #29.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Cooper #21, Max #29.
Northern Ireland · Boys18 shared years, 2006–2024
Cooper held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Max in 18.
Highest recorded here: Cooper #120 in 2017, Max #22 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cooper #125, Max #30.
Republic of Ireland · Boys18 shared years, 2008–2025
Cooper held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Max in 18.
Highest recorded here: Cooper #142 in 2018, Max #27 in 2022.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cooper #198, Max #41.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Cooper | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | An English occupational surname meaning 'barrel maker', from Middle English 'couper'. | A short form of Maximilian or Maxim, ultimately from Latin 'maximus' (greatest). |
| Origin | English (occupational surname) | Latin, via Maximilian/Maxim |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkup.əɹ/ | /ˈmæks/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #19 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #30 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cooper is recorded with a English (occupational surname) origin, while Max is recorded with a Latin, via Maximilian/Maxim origin.
- Cooper has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Max.
- Cooper's recorded meaning differs from Max's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Cooper
Popularity journey
First recorded1997
First recorded at #2022 among boys in England and Wales in 1997 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1998–2025
Highest recorded position: #4 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2009 (recorded 1998–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #19 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Max
Popularity journey
First recorded1946
First recorded at #359 among boys in Norway in 1946 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded1992–2023
Highest recorded position: #10 among boys in New Zealand, in 2016 (recorded 1992–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #30 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys