Girl's name
Harper
Say it HAR-per
English origin harp player
2 syllables
Where Harper is loved, common and rare
Loved in South Australia and Queensland. Common across the UK, Ontario, British Columbia and four more places. Rare in the Netherlands, Quebec, France and two more places.
1 in 138 girls born in Scotland in 2025
England and Wales 23rdScotland 23rdOntario 30th
LovedCommonRare
Every place
In 16 of the 40 official lists, among them England and Wales (23rd), Scotland (23rd) and Ontario (30th).
Show all 16 placesShow less
| Place | Rank | Girls | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Australia state | 5th 2025 | 72 | rank only |
| Queensland state | 10th 2025 | 188 | rank only |
| Victoria state | 13th 2025 | 216 | rank only |
| New South Wales state | 15th 2025 | 242 | rank only |
| New Zealand | 17th 2025 | 115 | rank only |
| England and Wales | 23rd 2025 | 1,367 | 1 in 185 |
| Scotland | 23rd 2025 | 130 | 1 in 138 |
| Ontario province | 30th 2024 | 225 | about 1 in 242 |
| Northern Ireland | 39th 2025 | 44 | 1 in 166 |
| British Columbia province | 47th 2023 | 47 | about 1 in 254 |
| Ireland | 54th 2025 | 90 | 1 in 235 |
| The Netherlands | 541st 2025 | 23 | about 1 in 2,653 |
| Quebec province | 591st 2025 | 7 | about 1 in 3,715 |
| France | 816th 2025 | 45 | 1 in 6,373 |
| Switzerland | 1013th 2025 | 5 | 1 in 6,799 |
| Italy | 4773rd 2024 | 1 | 1 in 179,169 |
Rare, below the listed names: Austria, Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Bonn, Leipzig, Rostock, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Catalonia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Israel.
Not in a short top list, so no figure: Nova Scotia (top 21), Denmark (top 50), Finland (top 50), Iceland (top 10), Estonia (top 25), Moscow (top 61), Turkey (top 30), Argentina (top 20) and Croatia (top 50).
Sources: SA Attorney-General's Department, Births, Deaths and Marriages (data.sa.gov.au) (South Australia); Queensland Registry of BDM (Qld Open Data Portal) (Queensland); Registry of BDM Victoria (DataVic) (Victoria); NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages (Data.NSW) (New South Wales); Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), SmartStart (New Zealand); Office for National Statistics (England and Wales); National Records of Scotland (Scotland); Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (Ontario); NISRA (Northern Ireland); BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (British Columbia); Central Statistics Office (CSO) (Ireland); Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) (the Netherlands); Retraite Québec (Banque de prénoms, Données Québec) (Quebec); INSEE, Fichier des prénoms (édition 2025) (France); Bundesamt für Statistik (BFS) / Office fédéral de la statistique (OFS) (Switzerland); ISTAT, Contanomi (Italy). How we count, and every source
About the name
Harper began as an English surname for someone who played the harp, from the Middle English harpere. Like many trade surnames, it moved into use as a first name, first for boys and, more recently, for girls. The meaning is simply 'harp player'.
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HAR-per has two syllables, a firm start and a soft ending, and its musical meaning is easy to explain to a child. The name has no common alternative spellings, which keeps it straightforward on paper.
Harper is at its strongest in Australia, in the top five in South Australia and the top ten in Queensland, and it ranks well in Victoria too. It is used only lightly in continental Europe, in the Netherlands, France and Switzerland. In Canada it first appeared at the start of this century and peaked around 2019, which makes it a recent arrival as a girls' name.
Meaning, origin, pronunciation
- Pronounced
- HAR-per, 2 syllables
- Meaning
harp player
- Origin
- English
Etymology
From Middle English Harpere. Occupational surname for a player of the harp, transferred to a male and (modern) female given name.
From the Wiktionary entry, CC BY-SA 4.0, shortened.
Over time
Over five years: rising in 3 of 14 regions, falling in 3.
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Rank in each place since 1996; higher on the chart is more popular.
Ten years of ranks
Her rank each year, English-speaking regions first. A blank means no published rank for her that year.
| Region | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 44 | 34 | 27 | 29 | 28 | 26 | 27 | 22 | 22 | 23 |
| Scotland | 30 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 15 | 22 | 21 | 23 |
| Northern Ireland | 58 | 54 | 46 | 46 | 56 | 38 | 44 | 51 | 84 | 39 |
| Ireland | 65 | 56 | 53 | 66 | 63 | 60 | 65 | 70 | 63 | 54 |
| Ontario | 38 | 29 | 29 | 19 | 32 | 26 | 26 | 29 | 30 | |
| British Columbia | 87 | 22 | 21 | 26 | 33 | 19 | 27 | 47 | ||
| Nova Scotia | 15 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 13 | |||||
| New South Wales | 19 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 7 | 15 |
| Victoria | 14 | 14 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 19 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 13 |
| Queensland | 13 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| South Australia | 12 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 5 |
| New Zealand | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 17 |
| Quebec | 730 | 651 | 927 | 913 | 575 | 404 | 810 | 403 | 612 | 591 |
| France | 1716 | 2024 | 1439 | 1005 | 1226 | 1006 | 1071 | 1521 | 831 | 816 |
| The Netherlands | 879 | 811 | 927 | 678 | 785 | 479 | 541 | |||
| Switzerland | 1279 | 1292 | 1296 | 1298 | 1347 | 1539 | 1298 | 1513 | 893 | 1013 |
England and Wales, 2001 to 2025
| Year | Rank | Girls | per 100,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 23 | 1,367 | 539.7 |
| 2024 | 22 | 1,461 | 566.3 |
| 2023 | 22 | 1,466 | 571.4 |
| 2022 | 27 | 1,449 | 549.9 |
| 2021 | 26 | 1,480 | 540.1 |
| 2020 | 28 | 1,415 | 527.2 |
| 2019 | 29 | 1,586 | 566.3 |
| 2018 | 27 | 1,796 | 623.0 |
| 2017 | 34 | 1,608 | 537.6 |
| 2016 | 44 | 1,256 | 408.9 |
| 2015 | 63 | 980 | 318.2 |
| 2014 | 89 | 623 | 203.2 |
| 2013 | 160 | 322 | 104.4 |
| 2012 | 284 | 173 | 53.7 |
| 2011 | 858 | 42 | 13.1 |
| 2010 | 930 | 37 | 11.5 |
| 2009 | 1171 | 26 | 8.3 |
| 2008 | 1391 | 20 | 6.3 |
| 2007 | 1573 | 16 | 5.2 |
| 2006 | 2137 | 10 | 3.3 |
| 2005 | 2682 | 7 | 2.4 |
| 2004 | 3725 | 4 | 1.4 |
| 2003 | 4373 | 3 | 1.1 |
| 2001 | 3262 | 4 | 1.5 |
Sources: Office for National Statistics (1996-2025), OGL v3.
Ontario and British Columbia since 1925
Half of the babies named Harper in Ontario and British Columbia since 1925 were born in or after 2018. First recorded in 2001. Her peak year there: 2019, at 586.1 per 100,000 girls.
Babies named Harper per 100,000 girls born in Ontario and British Columbia, by five-year period. Her 2019 peak is averaged into its five-year period, so the line sits below it.
Sources: Ontario Office of the Registrar General (Ontario Data Catalogue) (1917-2024), OGL-Ontario; BC Vital Statistics Agency (BC Data Catalogue) (1924-2023), OGL-BC.
Sister names for Harper
1 in 143 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Harper.
1 in 92 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Harper.
1 in 109 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Harper.
1 in 141 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Harper.
1 in 127 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Harper.
1 in 124 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Harper.
1 in 142 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Harper.
1 in 166 in England and Wales
Rose and fell with Harper.
1 in 459 in Scotland
Rose and fell with Harper.
1 in 82 in Ireland
Rose and fell with Harper.
Middle names for Harper
1 in 57 in Northern Ireland
Harper Grace
2-1 beats · initials HG
Changes the beat after Harper: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 71 in Scotland
Harper Olivia
2-4 beats · initials HO · Harper slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Harper: 2 syllables, then 4 syllables. Harper slides into Olivia: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 99 in Scotland
Harper Sophia
2-3 beats · initials HS
Changes the beat after Harper: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 311 in Ireland
Harper Maria
2-3 beats · initials HM
Changes the beat after Harper: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 214 in Northern Ireland
Harper Rose
2-1 beats · initials HR
Changes the beat after Harper: 2 syllables, then 1 syllable.
1 in 78 in Northern Ireland
Harper Emily
2-3 beats · initials HE · Harper slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
Changes the beat after Harper: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables. Harper slides into Emily: vowel meets vowel.
1 in 491 in Ireland
Harper Julia
2-3 beats · initials HJ
Changes the beat after Harper: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
1 in 1,286 in England and Wales
Harper Miriam
2-3 beats · initials HM
Changes the beat after Harper: 2 syllables, then 3 syllables.
Same style as Harper
Names whose popularity rose and fell with hers across regions and decades.
1 in 71 in Scotland
98% alike: moves with Harper across countries and decades.
1 in 143 in Scotland
98% alike: moves with Harper across countries and decades.
1 in 127 in Scotland
97% alike: moves with Harper across countries and decades.
1 in 459 in Scotland
96% alike: moves with Harper across countries and decades.
1 in 542 in Scotland
96% alike: moves with Harper across countries and decades.
1 in 142 in England and Wales
96% alike: moves with Harper across countries and decades.
1 in 596 in Scotland
96% alike: moves with Harper across countries and decades.
1 in 140 in Northern Ireland
95% alike: moves with Harper across countries and decades.
Famous people named Harper
Harper Lee.
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-
American novelist (1926–2016)
People: Wikidata (CC0), linked to Wikipedia in this page's language when an article exists.
Questions about Harper
5 questions, on how popular she is, what it means, how to say it, whether she is rising and sister names.
Show all 5 questionsShow less
How popular is Harper?
Her best rank is No. 5 in South Australia in 2025. She is in the published lists of 16 of our 40 regions.
What does Harper mean?
Wiktionary glosses Harper as "harp player".
How do you pronounce Harper?
HAR-per, with 2 syllables.
Is Harper getting more popular?
Over five years: rising in 3 of 14 regions, falling in 3.
Which sister names go with Harper?
The deck's top five sisters for Harper: Willow, Millie, Ellie, Aria and Evie. Each is scored on style, era, popularity and origin, with sound clashes flagged.