Harper vs Selina
Harper and Selinacompared 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.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Harper was ranked #23 and Selina #610 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Harper was ranked #63 and Selina #898 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Harper and Selina over time
Harper and Selina appear together in 2 published lists, across 34 years of shared records. Harper held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Selina in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 1 of the lists they share.
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 Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Harper #53 in 2018, Selina #544 in 2020.
List by list
England and Wales · Girls24 shared years, 2001–2025
Harper held the stronger position in 14 of those years, Selina in 10.
Highest recorded here: Harper #22 in 2023, Selina #450 in 2003.
The order changed in 2012: Harper moved ahead. In 2011 they stood at #858 and #738; by 2012 that had become #284 and #749.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Harper #23, Selina #610.
Republic of Ireland · Girls10 shared years, 2009–2024
Harper held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Selina in 0.
Highest recorded here: Harper #53 in 2018, Selina #544 in 2020.
The order changed in 2013: Harper moved ahead. In 2012 they stood at #893 and #893; by 2013 that had become #241 and #747.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Harper #63, Selina #898.
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.
Where to go next
Comparisons that share a name, a rule or a published list with this one. Each is an existing comparison page with its own evidence — nothing here says these pairs are alike.
Other comparisons involving Harper
Pairs where Harper shares a published list with another name, each measured inside one registrar's own list.
- Harper vs Aurora
Harper and Aurora both rose over the same years in 4 registrars — England and Wales · Girls; New Zealand · Girls; Northern Ireland · Girls; Republic of Ireland · Girls. Each list is measured against its own starting position; the positions are never combined.
Harper · Aurora · 24 shared years, 2001–2025 · Moved together in several countries
- Harper vs Daisy
Harper and Daisy both rose over the same years in 4 registrars — England and Wales · Girls; New South Wales, Australia · Girls; Northern Ireland · Girls; Republic of Ireland · Girls. Each list is measured against its own starting position; the positions are never combined.
Harper · Daisy · 24 shared years, 2001–2025 · Moved together in several countries
- Harper vs Elsie
Harper and Elsie both rose over the same years in 4 registrars — England and Wales · Girls; New South Wales, Australia · Girls; Northern Ireland · Girls; Republic of Ireland · Girls. Each list is measured against its own starting position; the positions are never combined.
Harper · Elsie · 24 shared years, 2001–2025 · Moved together in several countries
- Harper vs Poppy
Harper and Poppy both rose over the same years in 4 registrars — England and Wales · Girls; New South Wales, Australia · Girls; New Zealand · Girls; Republic of Ireland · Girls. Each list is measured against its own starting position; the positions are never combined.
Harper · Poppy · 24 shared years, 2001–2025 · Moved together in several countries
Side by side
| Field | Harper | Selina |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | 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. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | English (occupational surname) | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhɑɹ.pəɹ/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Girls #15 (2025) | Norway · Girls #227 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 88/100 | 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)); Selina does not have one recorded yet.
- Harper has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Selina.
- A meaning is recorded for Harper; Selina doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
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 #23 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Selina
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #380 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2024
Highest recorded position: #166 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1985 (recorded 1966–2024).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #610 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls