Cooper vs Reef
Cooper and Reefcompared 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 2024, Cooper was ranked #139 and Reef #2263 among boys in England and Wales.
Cooper and Reef over time
Cooper and Reef appear together in 1 published list, across 27 years of shared records. Cooper held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Reef in 0.
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.
Reef reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 of those lists, and Cooper in none. 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.
- Mirrored each other
Over 27 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Cooper rose about as far as Reef fell — from #2022 and #1345 in 1997 to #139 and #2263 in 2024.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys27 shared years, 1997–2024
Cooper held the stronger position in 24 of those years, Reef in 3.
Highest recorded here: Cooper #134 in 2019, Reef #750 in 1999.
The order changed in 2002: Cooper moved ahead. In 2001 they stood at #1425 and #1048; by 2002 that had become #907 and #1322.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Cooper #139, Reef #2263.
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 | Reef |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| 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 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | GB-ENW |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #19 (2025) | England and Wales · Boys #2263 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Cooper has a recorded origin (English (occupational surname)); Reef does not have one recorded yet.
- Cooper has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Reef.
- A meaning is recorded for Cooper; Reef doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW.
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
Reef
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #2863 among boys in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #750 among boys in England and Wales, in 1999 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #2263 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys