Harper Name Meaning

Harper has it all when it comes to naming trends, hitting each without missing a beat. Its unisex flexibility is on par with Riley and Quinn while its surname vibes work well with Parker and Madison. It completes the trifecta by being an occupational name like Sailor. There’s little surprise that it’s today’s Taylor, strutting its stuff and taking birth announcements by storm as it rises in popularity.

A little Harper is a fashionista, easily filling the kitten heels left behind by names like Tiffany and Amber. She’s also right at home beside her musical sisters Melody and Harmony. She’s decidedly British yet effortlessly crosses the pond like Charlotte and Piper. With her versatility and undeniable class, Harper is destined to stand out whether she’s gracing the pages of Vogue or overseeing a case in front of a courtroom. Harper has a lot to love in six short letters. Bold and brave yet somehow subtle and sweet, Harper is sure to keep parents’ hearts aflutter.

Harper also has a literary great in her history in Harper Lee, the author of To Kill A Mockingbird. The name would be a subtle nod to literature without being super obvious like Hemingway or Poe.

Infographic of Harper name meaning, which is Harper is an occupational name for a harp player.
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Harper Name Popularity

How popular is the name Harper? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 0 0%
1911 0 0%
1912 0 0%
1913 0 0%
1914 0 0%
1915 0 0%
1916 0 0%
1917 0 0%
1918 0 0%
1919 0 0%
1920 0 0%
1921 0 0%
1922 0 0%
1923 0 0%
1924 0 0%
1925 0 0%
1926 0 0%
1927 0 0%
1928 0 0%
1929 0 0%
1930 0 0%
1931 0 0%
1932 0 0%
1933 0 0%
1934 0 0%
1935 0 0%
1936 0 0%
1937 0 0%
1938 0 0%
1939 0 0%
1940 0 0%
1941 0 0%
1942 0 0%
1943 0 0%
1944 0 0%
1945 0 0%
1946 0 0%
1947 0 0%
1948 0 0%
1949 0 0%
1950 0 0%
1951 0 0%
1952 0 0%
1953 0 0%
1954 0 0%
1955 0 0%
1956 0 0%
1957 0 0%
1958 0 0%
1959 0 0%
1960 0 0%
1961 0 0%
1962 0 0%
1963 0 0%
1964 0 0%
1965 0 0%
1966 0 0%
1967 0 0%
1968 0 0%
1969 0 0%
1970 0 0%
1971 0 0%
1972 0 0%
1973 0 0%
1974 0 0%
1975 0 0%
1976 0 0%
1977 0 0%
1978 0 0%
1979 0 0%
1980 0 0%
1981 0 0%
1982 0 0%
1983 0 0%
1984 0 0%
1985 0 0%
1986 0 0%
1987 0 0%
1988 0 0%
1989 0 0%
1990 0 0%
1991 3,596 5 0.0003%
1992 0 0%
1993 3,781 5 0.0003%
1994 2,827 10 0.0007%
1995 2,625 12 0.0008%
1996 1,531 55 0.0037%
1997 2,230 21 0.0014%
1998 1,882 34 0.0023%
1999 1,596 53 0.0035%
2000 1,363 84 0.0055%
2001 1,190 116 0.0077%
2002 1,264 101 0.0067%
2003 1,080 150 0.0099%
2004 903 219 0.0144%
2005 749 310 0.0203%
2006 512 555 0.0354%
2007 437 694 0.044%
2008 292 1,109 0.0718%
2009 171 1,900 0.1271%
2010 118 2,631 0.1826%
2011 54 4,674 0.3281%
2012 24 7,188 0.5044%
2013 16 8,277 0.5813%
2014 11 9,606 0.6593%
2015 10 10,291 0.7073%
2016 10 10,773 0.7472%
2017 11 10,451 0.7488%
2018 9 10,582 0.7702%
2019 9 10,442 0.7713%
2020 10 8,599 0.6756%
2021 10 7,857 0.6427%
2022 11 8,191 0.6209%

Alaska (AK)

Alabama (AL)

Arkansas (AR)

Arizona (AZ)

California (CA)

Colorado (CO)

Connecticut (CT)

District of Columbia (DC)

Delaware (DE)

Florida (FL)

Georgia (GA)

Hawaii (HI)

Iowa (IA)

Idaho (ID)

Illinois (IL)

Indiana (IN)

Kansas (KS)

Kentucky (KY)

Louisiana (LA)

Massachusetts (MA)

Maryland (MD)

Maine (ME)

Michigan (MI)

Minnesota (MN)

Missouri (MO)

Mississippi (MS)

Montana (MT)

North Carolina (NC)

North Dakota (ND)

Nebraska (NE)

New Hampshire (NH)

New Jersey (NJ)

New Mexico (NM)

Nevada (NV)

New York (NY)

Ohio (OH)

Oklahoma (OK)

Oregon (OR)

Pennsylvania (PA)

Rhode Island (RI)

South Carolina (SC)

South Dakota (SD)

Tennessee (TN)

Texas (TX)

Utah (UT)

Virginia (VA)

Vermont (VT)

Washington (WA)

Wisconsin (WI)

West Virginia (WV)

Wyoming (WY)

Data via SSA.gov.


Names Like Harper

If you like Harper, you’ll love these other names like Harper.


What names sound like Harper?

If you like how Harper sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Harper.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Harley

Hare meadow

English

Harlow

Rock hill

English

Harmony

Perfect unity

English


What names are similar to Harper?

Find a name that’s like Harper, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Avery

Elf counsel

English

Callie

Beautiful one

Greek

Charlotte

Free man

French

Hailey

Hay meadow

English

Laurel

The bay, or laurel plant

Latin

Melody

Song

English

Peyton

From Pacca's town

English

Piper

Pipe player

English

Quinn

Descendent of Conn

Irish

Riley

Rye clearing

Irish


Lists With Harper

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Harper.


Siblings of Harper

Mamas with kids named Harper also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Brennan

Teardrop

Irish

Hannah

Grace

Hebrew

Hailey

Hay meadow

English

Declan

Full of goodness

Irish

Rhett

Advice

English

Luke

From Lucania

Greek

16 Comments

  1. My husband and I liked the name Harper for a girl for a few years before I got pregnant. We liked that its an old fashioned name and has both a feminine and masculine ring to it.

  2. My husband and I were tossing names around and I came across Harper and really liked the sound of it. I combined Harper with Grace (my paternal grandmother’s name) and absolutely fell in love with it. I had a moment where I felt like it was ment to be.

  3. Loved the way it sounds and how it represents “Harp” or music.

  4. Harper is my husband’s mother’s maiden name. He and I are only children so we picked a name from each side of our families!

  5. We heard the name in a movie and fell in love with it.

  6. Before having Harper, I wanted to name my little girl after one of the presidents. However, the name I chose became so popular (it wasn’t when I found it years ago). Her dad and I went back and forth but we loved Harper because it wasn’t as common, it was short and easy to spell, and with her middle name “Jean” it sounded southern (dad is a born and raised Texan). When she was born we still had not officially decided but Harper Jean was the perfect fit and felt so natural.

  7. My husband and I loved the name Harper because it sounds sweet and classic. It also goes well with her middle name Alice which is a family name!

  8. My husband and I just fell in love with the name. It was one I always liked but didn’t think he would do when he said the name I knew it was it!

  9. I got the name from baby names on this app

  10. It’s little different and we don’t know anyone with that name

  11. We were between 3 names: Ellie, Gemma, and Harper. I was in the hospital for 4 days and we could not decide. We prayed for a sign… the last day we were in the hospital we heard music in the hallway outside of our room. There was a LITERAL harpist outside of our room. I asked if this was common for the floor and the nurse informed me that it used to be but the Harpist had not been present for the past 6 months! We still let our ignorance get in the way and drew names out of a cup… we both drew out Harper! We loved all 3 names because they aren’t mainstream and unique in their own way. Little Harper Rose is our biggest blessing. ?

  12. We just really loved the name. It’s unique but still easy to pronounce and understand.

  13. Family last name that we loved. Also am a teacher and needed a name i hadn’t taught before and Harper made the cut!

  14. Accidentally called a baby Harper instead of Piper and went… Oooh.. I like that name! Suggested it to husband who was on board straight away and wouldn’t consider anything else. At the time we didn’t realise how popular it is. We like that it’s not too feminine.

  15. Our Harper is only 4 weeks old. Her older siblings are 9 and 11! The whole family loved the name Harper, but I was not thrilled by it. Now I couldn’t imagine her any other name and I love it?


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