Harper Name Meaning, Popularity and Origins
Origin:
English
Gender Distribution:
5% Masculine / 95% Feminine
Meaning:
The name Harper means 'harp player' and is of English origin.
Meaning of the Name Harper
Harper is a unisex name of English origin. It is derived from the Old English word 'harpere', which originally referred to someone who plays the harp. The name became a surname and later a given name. It gained popularity in the 21st century due to its association with the surname of the author Harper Lee.
Popularity of the Name Harper
The popularity for the name Harper peaked in popularity in the year 2016 with 10,798 births, which ranked number 31 out of 30,453 unique names for that year. Harper had the most female births in 2016 with 10,798, which ranked number 11 out of 18,860 female names for that year, and had the most male births in 2012 with 416, which ranked number 606 out of 14,248 male names for that year. The number of births for the name Harper has increased over the last ten years from 7,612 births to 8,329 births, an increase of 9.42%. Among males, Harper has declined sharply in popularity over the last ten years from 416 births to 138 births, a decline of -66.83%. Among females, Harper has increased in popularity over the last ten years from 7,196 births to 8,191 births, an increase of 13.83%.
Nationwide Popularity of Harper
- 20 Year Trend of Harper: 3414.35%
- 10 Year Trend of Harper: 9.42%
- 10 Year Male Trend of Harper: -66.83%
- 10 Year Female Trend of Harper: 13.83%
Popularity of Harper by State
For males, Harper was most popular in Southeastern states with 27 births in the region. It was most commonly seen in GA, with 10 male births. Among females, Harper was most popular in Southeastern states with 2,433 births in the region. It was most commonly used in TX, with 625 female births. See below for a full state by state breakdown of the name Harper. States with less than five births recorded will not be shown.
| State | Male Births | Male Gender Rank | Female Births | Female Gender Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AK | < 5 | N/A | 21 | 12 |
| AL | < 5 | N/A | 155 | 5 |
| AR | < 5 | N/A | 107 | 5 |
| AZ | < 5 | N/A | 152 | 21 |
| CA | 6 | 2220 | 550 | 47 |
| CO | 6 | 713 | 175 | 8 |
| CT | < 5 | N/A | 82 | 16 |
| DC | < 5 | N/A | 10 | 76 |
| DE | < 5 | N/A | 28 | 9 |
| FL | 9 | 1246 | 347 | 29 |
| GA | 10 | 856 | 324 | 7 |
| HI | < 5 | N/A | 14 | 46 |
| IA | < 5 | N/A | 113 | 7 |
| ID | < 5 | N/A | 65 | 7 |
| IL | < 5 | N/A | 270 | 15 |
| IN | < 5 | N/A | 228 | 7 |
| KS | < 5 | N/A | 114 | 5 |
| KY | < 5 | N/A | 202 | 1 |
| LA | < 5 | N/A | 149 | 5 |
| MA | < 5 | N/A | 148 | 20 |
| MD | 5 | 798 | 121 | 17 |
| ME | < 5 | N/A | 49 | 5 |
| MI | < 5 | N/A | 269 | 9 |
| MN | < 5 | N/A | 181 | 6 |
| MO | < 5 | N/A | 213 | 7 |
| MS | < 5 | N/A | 79 | 6 |
| MT | < 5 | N/A | 41 | 3 |
| NC | < 5 | N/A | 299 | 9 |
| ND | < 5 | N/A | 33 | 5 |
| NE | < 5 | N/A | 78 | 4 |
| NH | < 5 | N/A | 51 | 5 |
| NJ | 6 | 904 | 187 | 26 |
| NM | < 5 | N/A | 22 | 46 |
| NV | < 5 | N/A | 50 | 32 |
| NY | 10 | 1126 | 351 | 26 |
| OH | < 5 | N/A | 368 | 8 |
| OK | < 5 | N/A | 119 | 5 |
| OR | 5 | 587 | 94 | 12 |
| PA | < 5 | N/A | 347 | 8 |
| RI | < 5 | N/A | 8 | 108 |
| SC | < 5 | N/A | 147 | 6 |
| SD | < 5 | N/A | 41 | 2 |
| TN | < 5 | N/A | 299 | 3 |
| TX | 9 | 1784 | 625 | 29 |
| UT | < 5 | N/A | 137 | 8 |
| VA | 8 | 765 | 263 | 7 |
| VT | < 5 | N/A | 21 | 5 |
| WA | < 5 | N/A | 197 | 11 |
| WI | < 5 | N/A | 168 | 9 |
| WV | < 5 | N/A | 62 | 6 |
| WY | < 5 | N/A | 17 | 6 |
2024 Popularity Projections for Harper
- Total Births of Harper: 8404 (0.90%)
- Male Births of Harper: 124 (-10.45%)
- Female Births of Harper: 8298 (1.30%)
Given the upward trend of Harper over the last 10 years, we expect this to continue in 2024 with roughly a 0.90% increase in total births, for a total of 8,404 births in 2024. Male births for Harper have been decreasing over the past decade, so we anticipate roughly 124 male births in 2024, a decrease of -10.45%. For Females, births for Harper have been increasing over the past 10 years, and we expect roughly 8,298 female births in 2024, an increase of 1.30%.