Coran vs Harper
Coran 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.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2017, Coran was ranked #415 and Harper #415 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2016, Coran was ranked #3478 and Harper #748 among boys in England and Wales.
Coran and Harper over time
Coran and Harper appear together in 1 published list, across 9 years of shared records. Harper held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Coran in 0.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Coran reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 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.
List by list
England and Wales · Boys9 shared years, 1999–2016
Coran held the stronger position in 4 of those years, Harper in 5.
Highest recorded here: Coran #1383 in 1999, Harper #748 in 2016.
The order changed in 2006: Harper moved ahead. In 2005 they stood at #1716 and #2754; by 2006 that had become #3385 and #2087.
Most recent shared year, 2016: Coran #3478, Harper #748.
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 | Coran | Harper |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | 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 | Not yet recorded | English (occupational surname) |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈhɑɹ.pəɹ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Northern Ireland · Boys #433 (2021) | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #15 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 88/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Harper has a recorded origin (English (occupational surname)); Coran does not have one recorded yet.
- Coran and Harper both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Harper; Coran doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Coran
Popularity journey
First recorded1996
First recorded at #3795 among girls in England and Wales in 1996 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
England and Wales · Girls
Highest recorded2001–2021
Highest recorded position: #263 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2003 (recorded 2001–2021).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2021
Most recently recorded at #433 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2021.
Northern Ireland · Boys
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