Harper

Harper - A very unique male name

Harper appeared on the charts for the first time in 1918 on position #1724. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Harper and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Harper? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Harper. The baby boy name Harper was given to 19 baby boys in 2025, ranking #2478 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 77,173 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Harper peaked in popularity 14 years ago in 2012 on position 597.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Harper, 1-5?

Harper is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Harper is currently topping the baby name charts in North Carolina at position #964 - and is the least popular in Texas at position #2,380.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Harper is where you live.

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Harper origin and meaning

English occupational surname

Occupational surname for a harp player or harp maker

Harper is an English occupational surname. As a boy's name it has a scattered history since 1918 and peaked in 2012, at the height of the name's far larger run for girls. No comparably well-known male bearer carries it as a given name.

Attested etymology

Harper is a 6 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Harper, pop culture references for the name Harper and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Harper

We've found the following names that sound similar to Harper, sorted by popularity.

Herbert / Heriberto / Harpreet / Harbor / Hurbert / Herberth / Herber / Harvard / Herberto / Harveer /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Harper

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Harper a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Harper?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

HAR-pur · /ˈhɑrpər/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Spellings and nicknames

• Harpar — Rare variant

Famous bearers

None yet — no bearer for this name is documented well enough for us to list, so we show none rather than pad the list.

Style

SurnameOccupational

Why parents choose it

For a boy, Harper is a gentle occupational surname name — but parents should know it now reads as a girl's name to most people.

Worth knowing

• Overwhelmingly a girl's name today; expect gender assumptions.