Harper vs Sultan

Harper and Sultancompared 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 2017, Harper was ranked #34 and Sultan #4763 among girls in England and Wales.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Harper was ranked #1402 and Sultan #414 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Harper was ranked #619 and Sultan #727 among boys in Scotland.

Harper and Sultan over time

Harper and Sultan appear together in 2 published lists, across 35 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.

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.

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.

Repeatedly exchanged positions
Harper and Sultan changed places 4 times in England and Wales · Boys between 1999 and 2024, ending at #1402 and #414.

List by list

England and Wales · Boys24 shared years, 1999–2024
Harper held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Sultan in 17.
Highest recorded here: Harper #618 in 2015, Sultan #414 in 2024.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Harper #1402, Sultan #414.
England and Wales · Girls11 shared years, 2001–2017
Harper held the stronger position in 9 of those years, Sultan in 2.
Highest recorded here: Harper #34 in 2017, Sultan #2023 in 2001.
The order changed in 2004: Harper moved ahead. In 2003 they stood at #4373 and #2727; by 2004 that had become #3725 and #4598.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Harper #34, Sultan #4763.

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

Side-by-side comparison of Harper, Sultan
Field	Harper	Sultan
Record type	Editorially researched profile	Official statistical record (evidence-only)
Gender usage	female	male
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	2
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-SCT, IE
Most recent popularity observation	New South Wales, Australia · Girls #15 (2025)	England and Wales · Boys #414 (2024)
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)); Sultan does not have one recorded yet.
Harper and Sultan both have 2 syllables.
A meaning is recorded for Harper; Sultan doesn't have one written yet.
Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-SCT, 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 #15 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls

Sultan

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 recorded2001–2023
Highest recorded position: #375 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2003 (recorded 2001–2023).
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #414 among boys in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Boys