Harper

maleEnglish (occupational surname)

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: English (occupational surname)

Official popularity data is available for 6 regions, from 1999 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #2 in New Zealand in 2017. See regions.

Harper: Recorded since 1999, it reached #2 in 2017, and it was still inside the top 100 in 2025.

6registrars recorded it
111times a registrar ranked it
27years from first to last
#2highest recorded position
23groupings it qualifies for
40names it appears alongside

What stands out in Harper's record

Ranked inside the top 10 by 2 registrars. Names by top-10 reach
England and Wales registered 1,796 births with the name in 2018, its largest count from any one registrar. Names by yearly birth count
Appears alongside 40 other names across 5 kinds of recorded relationship. All recorded relationships

HAR-per/ˈhɑɹ.pəɹ/

Compare Harper Run Name Checker on Harper

Data Confidence

Evidence: ModerateCompleteness: SubstantialEditorial review: 2026-07-21

Confidence in the evidencebehind this name's data — never a rating of the name itself, and never affected by how well it matches your preferences. How this is assessed

Because: backed by officially or academically authoritative sources, recently verified, popularity data covers multiple regions.

Source authority

Averaged from the real per-claim source-authority assessments already computed for this name's meaning/origin/pronunciation/popularity evidence.

Independent corroboration

Averaged from the real per-claim supporting-source counts already computed for this name's evidence.

See full evidence assessment (8 dimensions, 1 not yet tracked)

Source agreement

No recorded source disagreement for this name's meanings or origins.

Recency

Calculated from how long ago this record was last verified (2026-07-21), against a 270-day staleness threshold.

Geographic relevance

Calculated from the number of geographies with official popularity data (6) — broader official coverage means the evidence base is relevant to more of where the name is actually used.

Completeness

Calculated from how many of the expected data sections (variants, similar names, popularity, notable usage, IPA pronunciation) are actually populated for this name.

Direct observation vs. inference

Averaged from the real per-claim direct-observation-vs-inference ratios already computed for this name's evidence.

Identity & variant resolution quality

Cross-source identity and variant resolution requires HEKNO Knowledge, which isn't connected yet.

Name Characteristics

How these are calculated

Descriptive attributes of the name itself — not a confidence measurement, and not an overall quality score. Namewise doesn't approve or disapprove of names.

Pronunciation clarity

Editorial judgement of how consistently this name is pronounced correctly on first read, mapped from an easy/moderate/variable rating to a number. Describes the name — not a measure of evidence confidence.

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling: shorter names with fewer irregular letter clusters score higher. A disclosed formula, not an editorial opinion — and not a confidence measurement.

Recorded regional spread

Derived from how many geographies' official statistics record this name. It measures where the name is registered, not how well-known it feels to people living there.

International spread

Derived from the same official statistical coverage, scaled to reflect how widely the name crosses national datasets. Not a measure of how easily it is understood in another language.

Trend stability

Derived from the name's traditional/modern classification and its current popularity trend direction.

Overview

Origin: English (occupational surname)
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.
Pronunciation: HAR-per
Syllables: 2
Common nicknames: None recorded
Classification: Traditional & modern
Gender usage: male
Language family: English (occupational surname)

Popularity

Region

Rising

among girls in England and Wales · 2001–2025

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
2001	#3262
2003	#4373
2004	#3725
2005	#2682
2006	#2137
2007	#1573
2008	#1391
2009	#1171
2010	#930
2011	#858
2012	#284
2013	#160
2014	#89
2015	#63
2016	#44
2017	#34
2018	#27
2019	#29
2020	#28
2021	#26
2022	#27
2023	#22
2024	#22
2025	#23

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

RisingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among boys in England and Wales in 25 of the 27 years from 1999 to 2025.

In 2025: #15 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, #23 among girls in England and Wales, #54 among girls in Republic of Ireland.

Official data from 6 national registrars across 6 regions, 1999–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

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
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #23 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls

Harper appears in 7 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is England and Wales · Boys, which has ranked it in 25 years beginning in 1999, and has registered 620 births with the name.

Harper across 7 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Harper's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
England and Wales · Boys	#2425 (1999)	#618 (2015)	#2952 (2025)	25 of 27	620 (1999–2025)	59 (2015)
England and Wales · Girls	#3262 (2001)	#22 (2023)	#23 (2025)	24 of 25	17,151 (2001–2025)	1,796 (2018)
Republic of Ireland · Girls	#893 (2009)	#53 (2018)	#54 (2025)	15 of 17	1,064 (2009–2025)	112 (2018)
New South Wales, Australia · Girls	#57 (2011)	#7 (2024)	#15 (2025)	15 of 15	3,874 (2011–2025)	325 (2018)
Northern Ireland · Girls	#297 (2012)	#38 (2021)	#84 (2024)	13 of 13	446 (2012–2024)	52 (2021)
New Zealand · Girls	#33 (2012)	#2 (2017)	#5 (2023)	12 of 12	2,217 (2012–2023)	259 (2015)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#343 (2013)	#281 (2016)	#415 (2017)	4 of 5	16 (2013–2017)	6 (2016)

Harper by decade in England and Wales · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Harper in England and Wales · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1990s	4	1 of 10	4
2000s	72	8 of 10	9
2010sbusiest	417	10 of 10	42
2020s	127	6 of 10	21

Across England and Wales · Boys, the 2010s were its busiest decade, averaging 42 births a year.

See the names England and Waleshas recorded the most births with →

Harper appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

What the record shows

Recorded by 6 registrars between 1999 and 2025, ranked in 26 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #2, first reached in 2017.

It held a top-100 place in 15 years, 15 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 1,796 births, registered in England and Wales in 2018.

2 registrars ranked it inside their own top 10.

1 registrar publishes it in more than one category list, holding a place in each for at least five years — an observation about those lists rather than about the name.

Its record falls into 2 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 1 year.

A second registrar first ranked it in 2009, and 25 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Harper was ranked #2 in New Zealand · Girls in 2017. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Haroon · #298, 30y
Haroun · #1230, 29y
Harper-Grace · #1490, 12y
Harper-Lee · #2706, 12y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 6 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Cooper · #4, 29y
Mason · #4, 31y
Hunter · #5, 30y
Ivy · #5, 31y

Also first recorded in the 1990s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1990 and 1999.

Noah · #1, 33y
Ruby · #1, 35y
Alfie · #4, 30y
Cooper · #4, 29y

Comparisons involving Harper

Existing comparison pages where Harper and another name were ranked in the same published list, in the same years, on the same scale. Each has its own evidence; none of them says the names are alike.

Order changes

Pairs where Harper and another name exchanged position in a published list, taken as the final meaningful change.

Emily vs Harper
In 2015, Harper moved ahead of Emily in New Zealand · Girls — #4 and #8 the year before became #5 and #3.
Emily · Harper · 12 shared years, 2012–2023 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 2015 New Zealand ranking
Harper vs Mila
In 2023, Harper moved ahead of Mila in New Zealand · Girls — #9 and #4 the year before became #5 and #11.
Harper · Mila · 12 shared years, 2012–2023 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 2023 New Zealand ranking
Ruby vs Harper
In 2020, Harper moved ahead of Ruby in New Zealand · Girls — #5 and #7 the year before became #18 and #6.
Ruby · Harper · 12 shared years, 2012–2023 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 2020 New Zealand ranking

Compared inside New Zealand lists

Pairs involving Harper measured in New Zealand's own published lists — the registrar that recorded Harper at its highest position.

Amelia vs Harper
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Amelia #1 in 2019, Harper #2 in 2017.
Amelia · Harper · 12 shared years, 2012–2023 · Peaked in the same years
See the 2019 New Zealand ranking
Chloe vs Harper
In 2014, Harper moved ahead of Chloe in New Zealand · Girls — #11 and #19 the year before became #15 and #8.
Chloe · Harper · 12 shared years, 2012–2023 · One moved ahead of the other
See the 2014 New Zealand ranking

New Zealand overview→

Harper and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,577 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Harper without appearing here.

Harper moved ahead of

Rian
In 2009 they stood at #3725 and #3725 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2010 that had become #930 and #3533.
Brent
In 2007 they stood at #2023 and #1756 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2008 that had become #1294 and #3687.
Cecilie
In 2004 they stood at #4373 and #3099 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2005 that had become #2682 and #4798.
Jeanette
In 2004 they stood at #3725 and #3725 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2005 that had become #2682 and #4798.

Moved ahead of Harper

Rune
In 2024 they stood at #1402 and #1460 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2025 that had become #2952 and #1124.
Cillian
In 2004 they stood at #2070 and #3009 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2005 that had become #2754 and #1190.
Braxton
In 2024 they stood at #1402 and #2088 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2025 that had become #2952 and #2014.
Matheo
In 2024 they stood at #1402 and #1517 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2025 that had become #2952 and #2014.

Moved the opposite way to Harper

Brett
Between 1999 and 2024 in England and Wales · Boys, Harper went from #2425 to #1402 while Brett went from #228 to #4270.
Grant
Between 1999 and 2024 in England and Wales · Boys, Harper went from #2425 to #1402 while Grant went from #309 to #4270.
Abigail
Between 2001 and 2025 in England and Wales · Girls, Harper went from #3262 to #23 while Abigail went from #22 to #171.
Aimee
Between 2001 and 2025 in England and Wales · Girls, Harper went from #3262 to #23 while Aimee went from #72 to #1809.

Moved the same way as Harper

Ada Compare
Between 2001 and 2025 in England and Wales · Girls, Harper went from #3262 to #23 and Ada from #1520 to #40.
Alma
Between 2001 and 2025 in England and Wales · Girls, Harper went from #3262 to #23 and Alma from #1728 to #211.
Amalie
Between 2001 and 2025 in England and Wales · Girls, Harper went from #3262 to #23 and Amalie from #3998 to #894.
Amelia Compare
Between 2001 and 2025 in England and Wales · Girls, Harper went from #3262 to #23 and Amelia from #32 to #3.

Meaning & Origin

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.

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

English (occupational surname)

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Other names with a researched meaning and origin →

Where Harper is officially recorded

6 official registrars have recorded Harper, between 1999 and 2025, in 26 of those 27 years. Each registrar publishes for its own population on its own methodology, so the positions below are each one country's own ranking and are not comparable with one another.

Registrar	Recorded	Years	Its own highest position
England and Wales	1999–2025	26	#22 in 2023
Republic of Ireland	2009–2025	16	#53 in 2018
New South Wales, Australia	2011–2025	15	#7 in 2024
Northern Ireland	2012–2024	13	#38 in 2021
New Zealand	2012–2023	12	#2 in 2017
Scotland	2024	1	#21 in 2024

Variants

No spelling variants or nicknames recorded yet.

Similar Names

No similar names recorded yet for this name.

Similarity is a demonstration score — see methodology.

Spelling

Spelling simplicity

Calculated directly from the name's spelling — see Name Characteristics above.

No commonly used alternate spellings recorded.

Pronunciation

HAR-per/ˈhɑɹ.pəɹ/

Syllables: 2
Ease: easy

VerifiedSource: Behind the Name.Confidence: medium.

Where Harper Is Recorded

National statistical agencies have recorded Harper in these places. This shows where the name is used — not where it comes from, and not that it carries particular cultural significance there.

New South Wales, AustraliaEngland and WalesNorthern IrelandScotlandRepublic of IrelandNew Zealand

Notable Usage

No safely-sourced notable usage recorded for this name yet.

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

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Harper

Harper at a glance

What stands out in Harper's record

Overview

Popularity

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Harper across 7 official records

Harper by decade in England and Wales · Boys

Harper appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Harper

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1990s

Comparisons involving Harper

Order changes

Compared inside New Zealand lists

Harper and the names beside it

Harper moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Harper

Moved the opposite way to Harper

Moved the same way as Harper

Meaning & Origin

Where Harper is officially recorded

Variants

Similar Names

Spelling

Pronunciation

Where Harper Is Recorded

Notable Usage

Sibling & Surname Compatibility

Harper at a glance

What stands out in Harper's record

Harper across 7 official records

Harper by decade in England and Wales · Boys

Harper appears in

What the record shows

Names published alongside Harper

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1990s

Comparisons involving Harper

Order changes

Compared inside New Zealand lists

Harper and the names beside it

Harper moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Harper

Moved the opposite way to Harper

Moved the same way as Harper