Harper
Harper is a girls' name of English origin meaning “harp player; maker of harps.” It ranked #7 in the United States in 2025. An English occupational surname for a harp player.
how do you pronounce Harper?
HAR-per
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Harper mean?
The name Harper means “harp player; maker of harps.” It comes from the English language tradition.
An English occupational surname for a harp player. It gained explosive popularity for girls following Victoria Beckham naming her daughter Harper Seven in 2011. Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, lends it literary prestige.
where does the name Harper come from?
An English occupational surname for someone who played the harp, from Old English hearpere. Harpers held real standing in medieval households, so the surname records a profession with more status than most occupational names carry.
the history of Harper
Harper Lee published To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960 under a name that was in fact her middle one, and for decades she was the surname's best-known bearer. Its shift to a girls' given name in the United States began around 2004 and moved fast; David and Victoria Beckham named their daughter Harper Seven in 2011, and the name reached the American top ten by 2015.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2024 | #7 |
| 2023 | #7 |
| 2022 | #8 |
| 2021 | #9 |
| 2020 | #10 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Harper?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Harper?
- Harper Lee (author)
- Harper Beckham (celebrity daughter)
- Harper Steele (writer)
what names are similar to Harper?
what names go well with Harper?
Sibling names that share Harper's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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