Harper
Meaning of Harper
Harper is an English surname of occupational origin, from the Middle English harper, meaning harp player — someone who played the harp for a living. It has been used as a given name in the English-speaking world since the nineteenth century, when it was chiefly a boy's name; in the United States it is now given overwhelmingly to girls. It is pronounced HAHR-per, with the stress on the first syllable, and a rare older variant spelling is Harpur.
The name's best-known bearer is Harper Lee (1926–2016), the American novelist whose To Kill a Mockingbird won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961 and remains a standard text in American schools.
As a girl's name, Harper was barely used before the 1990s: just 5 girls received it in 1971, when it ranked 8,324. It climbed sharply through the 2000s, reached the top ten in 2015, and peaked at 9th in 2018 and 2019. The largest number of births came in 2016, with 10,803. Use has eased since then, and 6,792 girls were named Harper in 2025, when it ranked 16th — still a common name, but well below its high point.
Pronunciation
American English
- Pronunced as HAHR-per (/ˈhɑr.pər/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
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Notable People Named Harper
| Nelle Harper Lee was an American novelist whose To Kill a Mockingbird won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize, who helped Truman Capote research In Cold Blood, and whose Go Set a Watchman appeared in 2015, with The Land of Sweet Forever due October 21, 2025. |
| Harper James Simon is an American singer and songwriter, guitarist and producer, son of Paul Simon and Peggy Harper, with albums in 2010 and 2013 and appearances in films and TV including the HBO series Girls. |
