Harper
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- HAR-per
- Origin
- English
- UK rank, 2025
- #22 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #16 for girls
Harper is a girls' name of English origin, meaning “harp player”. In 2025 it ranked 22nd for girls in the UK (1,541 babies) and 16th for girls in the US (6,792 babies).
What does Harper mean?
English: English occupational surname
“harp player”
Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, is its best-known bearer.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Harper a girl's or a boy's name?
Harper is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 1,541 girls and 7 boys in the UK and 6,792 girls and 77 boys in the US.
How popular is Harper in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #22among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 1,541about 1 in 180 girls
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 12% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 7.5%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 1,541 girls in the UK were named Harper, making it the 22nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 27th. Its busiest year was 2018, with 2,033 girls. 7 boys were also named Harper in 2025 (3,021st for boys).
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Harper than any year since 2016.
Half of all the girls named Harper in the UK since 1996 were born between 2017 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2004, 33% of the babies named Harper in the UK were girls. By 2025 it was over 99%, with more girls than boys since 2007.
Among girls in 2025, it was 23rd in England and Wales, 23rd in Scotland and 39th in Northern Ireland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for girls, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 2014 (#89) and 2024 (#22).
Harper in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,541 | #22 |
| 2024 | 1,635 | #22 |
| 2023 | 1,645 | #23 |
| 2022 | 1,665 | #25 |
| 2021 | 1,676 | #28 |
| 2020 | 1,610 | #27 |
| 2019 | 1,830 | #26 |
| 2018 | 2,033 | #21 |
| 2017 | 1,852 | #30 |
| 2016 | 1,439 | #45 |
| 2015 | 1,143 | #58 |
| 2014 | 717 | #90 |
| 2013 | 383 | #155 |
| 2012 | 198 | #279 |
| 2011 | 48 | #826 |
| 2010 | 38 | #968 |
| 2009 | 28 | #1,179 |
| 2008 | 22 | #1,390 |
| 2007 | 17 | #1,614 |
| 2006 | 11 | #2,119 |
| 2005 | 7 | #2,806 |
| 2004 | 4 | #3,916 |
| 2003 | 3 | #4,560 |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 4 | #3,427 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 1 | #5,152 |
| 1997 | 1 | #5,110 |
How popular is Harper in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #16among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 6,792about 1 in 240 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 27% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 5.8%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 6,792 girls in the US were named Harper, making it the 16th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 10th. Its busiest year was 2016, with 10,803 girls. It first appears in the records in 1971. 77 boys were also named Harper in 2025 (1,976th for boys).
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 7 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Harper than any year since 2011.
Half of all the girls named Harper in the US since 1880 were born between 2014 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Girls were 61% of the babies named Harper in the US in 1991, and 99% in 2025.
Harper in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6,792 | #16 |
| 2024 | 7,394 | #12 |
| 2023 | 7,799 | #11 |
| 2022 | 8,227 | #11 |
| 2021 | 8,448 | #10 |
| 2020 | 8,849 | #10 |
| 2019 | 10,497 | #9 |
| 2018 | 10,646 | #9 |
| 2017 | 10,524 | #11 |
| 2016 | 10,803 | #11 |
| 2015 | 10,311 | #10 |
| 2014 | 9,619 | #11 |
| 2013 | 8,284 | #16 |
| 2012 | 7,199 | #24 |
| 2011 | 4,676 | #54 |
| 2010 | 2,634 | #120 |
| 2009 | 1,904 | #173 |
| 2008 | 1,128 | #296 |
| 2007 | 729 | #440 |
| 2006 | 597 | #510 |
| 2005 | 363 | #741 |
| 2004 | 274 | #887 |
| 2003 | 200 | #1,099 |
| 2002 | 164 | #1,223 |
| 2001 | 176 | #1,169 |
| 2000 | 136 | #1,367 |
| 1999 | 112 | #1,523 |
| 1998 | 93 | #1,707 |
| 1997 | 86 | #1,755 |
| 1996 | 107 | #1,501 |
| 1995 | 53 | #2,416 |
| 1994 | 34 | #3,297 |
| 1993 | 23 | #4,387 |
| 1992 | 21 | #4,679 |
| 1991 | 22 | #4,491 |
| 1990 | 12 | #6,861 |
| 1989 | 11 | #6,949 |
| 1988 | 11 | #6,661 |
| 1987 | 8 | #7,982 |
| 1986 | 8 | #7,745 |
| 1985 | 13 | #5,346 |
| 1984 | 5 | #10,417 |
| 1983 | 5 | #10,272 |
| 1982 | 7 | #8,222 |
| 1981 | 8 | #7,407 |
| 1980 | 6 | #9,093 |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 10 | #5,957 |
| 1977 | 5 | #9,650 |
| 1976 | 9 | #6,046 |
| 1975 | 7 | #7,171 |
| 1974 | 9 | #5,775 |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 5 | #8,322 |
Names like Harper
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Willow Mila Arabella Freya Hallie Aria Isla Lyra Poppy Ivy Myla Lyla
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Grace Violet Daisy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hazel Carter Harrison River Ellie
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Harper: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/harper, updated 20 October 2026.