Fun Facts About the Name Hooper
- 123 babies named Hooper: U.S. records list 123 babies given the name Hooper from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Hooper Mean?
Hooper is an English occupational surname meaning "hoop maker" or "one who makes hoops." It comes from Middle English hoper, built from hop (Old English hōp), "hoop," plus the agent suffix -er, so literally "one who hoops" or "maker of hoops." A hoop was a band - of split wood, metal, or withe - fitted around the staves of a cask, barrel, tub, or sieve to bind them together. The hooper made and set these bands, a job related to but distinct from the cooper, who shaped and assembled the barrels themselves. The meaning is the same whether the word is used as a surname or as a given name.
Hooper Name History & Origins
Hooper belongs to the large group of English occupational surnames that became hereditary in the later Middle Ages. Since hooping was a common rural trade, the name appears to have arisen independently in many localities, so people named Hooper today are not all descended from a single family. The modern spelling reflects the Middle English agent noun, and the name appears in English records as a surname well before it was ever used as a first name.
Two bearers are widely remembered. John Hooper (c. 1495 - 1555) became Bishop of Gloucester and Worcester and was burned at the stake in 1555 under Queen Mary I, making him one of the Marian Protestant martyrs. William Hooper (1742 - 1790) of North Carolina signed the American Declaration of Independence.
As a first name, Hooper is uncommon and is used chiefly as a transferred surname, often given to carry a family name forward. It also appears in fiction: the oceanographer Matt Hooper in Jaws (1975), the stuntman in the film Hooper (1978), and the storekeeper Mr. Hooper on Sesame Street. Those are later literary uses of an old surname rather than evidence of the name's origin.
How Popular is the Name Hooper?
Hooper has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1914. Its best rank was #1,914 in 1914.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,065 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2023 | #9,219 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2022 | #8,557 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #11,259 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #11,116 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #9,153 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #11,233 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #9,050 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #9,096 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #11,247 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #12,971 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #11,579 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1944 | #3,641 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1929 | #3,734 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1925 | #4,536 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1918 | #4,454 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1915 | #3,217 | 7 | 0.0008% |
| 1914 | #1,914 | 12 | 0.0018% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Hooper Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You attract success and money. You are a lover of nature and do not need others for your happiness. You are self sufficient. You strive for material success and power and have business sense. You possess strong organizational abilities, can be a good manager, and executive by nature. You are capable of great achievement in business and finance. You are frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Hooper's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Hooper's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.