The genial yet upscale and preppy Cooper was one of the first occupational last names to catch on -- and Cooper remains a pleasing option.

Cooper is one of the American names used much more often in the US for boys and is also one of the most popular dog names. More than 120 American parents chose it for their baby girls in the most recent year counted....versus nearly 5000 baby boys. For better or worse, it is one of the more masculine-sounding surname-names.