Baby name meaning

Harper

Harp player · Old English origin

Meaning & origin

Harper is a female name of Old English origin, meaning “Harp player”.

How popular is Harper?

In England & Wales, Harper ranked #22 among girls' names in 2024, with 1,461 babies given the name — up from #89 in 2014. Its strongest year in the England & Wales series is 2023, when it reached #22. Harper first appears in the England & Wales data in 2001.

In the United States, Harper was the #10 girls' name in the 2020 data — its best showing in the US series, which samples one year per decade from 1880. It first charted in the US series in 1980.

Harper — popularity rank over timePopularity rank of the girls' name Harper over time, lower rank number = more popular. England and Wales annual rank 2001 to 2024. United States rank sampled one year per decade, 1980 to 2020.#1#10#100#1,000#10,00019801990200020102024US 1980: #9,492US 1990: #7,028US 2000: #1,370US 2010: #120US 2020: #10England & Wales 2024: #22United StatesEngland & Wales
Harper’s popularity rank over time — England & Wales annual rank (solid) and United States rank sampled once per decade (dashed), #1 at the top. Log scale: each gridline is 10× the rank above it.
Harper in England & Wales: rank and births in sampled years, plus its peak year. Source: ONS ‘Baby names in England and Wales’.
YearE&W rankBirths
2005#2,7837
2010#94037
2015#63980
2020#281,415
2023#221,466
2024#221,461

Famous Harpers

Names that go well with Harper

Mason
Swipe & match on Harper in Settle