Ava vs Harper
Ava and Harpercompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2023, Ava was ranked #8 and Harper #5 among girls in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #9 and Harper #22 among girls in England and Wales.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #11 and Harper #21 among girls in Scotland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2025, Ava was ranked #18 and Harper #15 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Ava was ranked #26 and Harper #54 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Ava was ranked #32 and Harper #84 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Ava and Harper over time
Ava and Harper appear together in 5 published lists, across 78 years of shared records. Ava held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Harper in 1.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Ava reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, and Harper in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Ava #5 in 2017, Harper #2 in 2017.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls23 shared years, 2001–2024
Ava held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Harper in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ava #3 in 2018, Harper #22 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ava #9, Harper #22.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls15 shared years, 2011–2025
Ava held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Harper in 2.
Highest recorded here: Ava #3 in 2017, Harper #7 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ava #18, Harper #15.
Republic of Ireland · Girls15 shared years, 2009–2025
Ava held the stronger position in 15 of those years, Harper in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ava #2 in 2009, Harper #53 in 2018.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Ava #26, Harper #54.
Northern Ireland · Girls13 shared years, 2012–2024
Ava held the stronger position in 13 of those years, Harper in 0.
Highest recorded here: Ava #9 in 2016, Harper #38 in 2021.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Ava #32, Harper #84.
New Zealand · Girls12 shared years, 2012–2023
Ava held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Harper in 8.
Highest recorded here: Ava #5 in 2017, Harper #2 in 2017.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Ava #8, Harper #5.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Ava | Harper |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Meaning debated — no single origin is established with confidence. | An English occupational surname for someone who played or made harps, from Old English 'hearpe'. Popularized as a given name partly through author Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. |
| Origin | Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve | English (occupational surname) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈeɪvə/ | /ˈhɑɹ.pəɹ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #18 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #15 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Ava is recorded with a Disputed — possibly Germanic, possibly a short form of Eve origin, while Harper is recorded with a English (occupational surname) origin.
- Ava and Harper both have 2 syllables.
- Ava's recorded meaning differs from Harper's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Ava
Popularity journey
First recorded1978
First recorded at #522 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1978 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1978–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 2008 (recorded 1978–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #18 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Harper
Popularity journey
First recorded1999
First recorded at #2425 among boys in England and Wales in 1999 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Boys
Highest recorded2012–2023
Highest recorded position: #2 among girls in New Zealand, in 2017 (recorded 2012–2023).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #15 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls