Harper
Say it: HAR-per
GirlMeans harp player6 letters2 syllables
#54
in Ireland (2025)
90
babies in 2025
#54
best rank (2018)
1,064
babies since 2009
Up 48
10-year rank change
Harper through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (girls) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 90 | #54 |
| 2024 | 86 | #62 |
| 2023 | 82 | #69 |
| 2022 | 82 | #66 |
| 2021 | 98 | #60 |
| 2020 | 86 | #63 |
| 2019 | 87 | #67 |
| 2018 | 112 | #54 |
| 2017 | 111 | #56 |
| 2016 | 97 | #65 |
| 2015 | 61 | #102 |
| 2014 | 35 | #164 |
| 2013 | 22 | #241 |
| 2012 | 12 | #399 |
| 2009 | 3 | #890 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Harper mean?
Harp player
English, Scottish and Irish surname for a harp player, now used as a first name.
Say it right
HARper
The story of Harper
Harper began as a surname for someone who played the harp, from the Middle English harpere. In Ireland and Scotland the surname can also stand for the Gaelic Mac Chruiteir, “son of the harper”.
Like many surnames it became a first name in the United States, where it has been used for both boys and girls. It rose fast there as a girls’ name and was in the American top ten by 2021. The writer Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, is the best-known bearer.
In Ireland Harper is almost entirely a girls’ name: boys appear on the CSO list only once, in 2011. It first reached the girls’ list in 2009. It had its best year in 2018, with 112 girls and number 53 on the CSO list. It has stayed close to that level since. In Northern Ireland its best place was 38th, in 2021.
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Sources
- Wiktionary: Harper (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Harper (name)
- CSO VSA60, Girls Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, Baby Names in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Harper | 90 | 1,064 |
In Northern Ireland
#39 in 2025 with 44 babies. Best rank #38 (2021); 490 babies since 2012.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.
Harper is also given to boys: 4 since 2011.