Cooper vs Murphy
Cooper and Murphycompared 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.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2025, Cooper was ranked #105 and Murphy #593 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Cooper was ranked #121 and Murphy #478 among boys in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Cooper was ranked #3695 and Murphy #1128 among girls in England and Wales.
Cooper and Murphy over time
Cooper and Murphy appear together in 2 published lists, across 37 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
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.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in England and Wales · Boys within 2 years — Cooper #105 in 2025, Murphy #535 in 2024.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys27 shared years, 1997–2025
Cooper held the stronger position in 26 of those years, Murphy in 1.
Highest recorded here: Cooper #105 in 2025, Murphy #535 in 2024.
The order changed in 1998: Cooper moved ahead. In 1997 they stood at #2022 and #1761; by 1998 that had become #1110 and #2901.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Cooper #105, Murphy #593.
England and Wales · Girls10 shared years, 2015–2024
Cooper held the stronger position in 1 of those years, Murphy in 8.
Highest recorded here: Cooper #2643 in 2019, Murphy #981 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cooper #3695, Murphy #1128.
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.
Where to go next
Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.
Other comparisons involving Cooper
Pairs where Cooper shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Cooper vs Max
Cooper and Max changed places 12 times in New South Wales, Australia · Boys between 1998 and 2025, ending at #19 and #30.
Cooper · Max · 28 shared years, 1998–2025 · Repeatedly exchanged positions
- Liam vs Cooper
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Boys within 2 years — Liam #1 in 2010, Cooper #12 in 2012.
Liam · Cooper · 18 shared years, 2006–2023 · Peaked in the same years
- Oliver vs Cooper
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Boys within 2 years — Oliver #1 in 2013, Cooper #12 in 2012.
Oliver · Cooper · 18 shared years, 2006–2023 · Peaked in the same years
- William vs Cooper
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — William #1 in 2009, Cooper #4 in 2009.
William · Cooper · 28 shared years, 1998–2025 · Peaked in the same years
Side by side
| Field | Cooper | Murphy |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | Used for both boys and girls |
| Meaning | An English occupational surname meaning 'barrel maker', from Middle English 'couper'. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | English (occupational surname) | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkup.əɹ/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-SCT |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #19 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #593 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 60/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cooper has a recorded origin (English (occupational surname)); Murphy does not have one recorded yet.
- Cooper and Murphy both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Cooper; Murphy doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-SCT.
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 #105 among boys in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Boys
Murphy
Popularity journey
First recorded1997
First recorded at #1761 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
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #705 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls