ninan.org

Harper

Girls' name · Current

Living in the US
~144,200 survival-weighted estimate
2025 rank
#16 among girls
Births in 2025
6,869 145,832 since 1880
Typical age
8 years, median

Harper popularity over time

Harper rank by birth year, 1971–2025Harper ranked #8,324 in 1971 and #16 in 2025. Its best rank in the period was #9, in 2018.#10#100#1,000#10,000#16best #9 in 201819801990200020102020
Rank among US baby names by birth year, 1971–2025. Lower is more popular; the scale is logarithmic so the top of the chart is not compressed.

Harper was used most in 2016, when 11,102 babies were given the name. The name does not appear in the data until 1881. Harper has spent 15 years inside the national top 100.

As of 2025 the name sits at #16, with 6,869 births that year. Compared with 2015, births are down 36%.

Babies named Harper per yearPeaks at 11,102 births in 2016.11,102 in 2016018901920195019802010
Recorded US births by year. The peak is labelled; the axis starts at zero.

How many people are named Harper?

About 144,200 people named Harper are alive in the United States today. SSA has recorded 145,832 births under the name since 1880.

This is a survival-weighted estimate, not a headcount: every recorded birth year is multiplied by the chance someone born that year is still alive, using the SSA period life table. How the estimate works.

How old is the average Harper?

Median age among living Harpers: 8. Most living bearers were born in the 2010s. By the site’s era rules that makes Harper a current name.

Your Harper

Ages of living people named HarperHalf of living Harpers are older than 8 and half younger.median 8020406080100
Estimated living bearers by age today. Each bar is a birth year, weighted by the chance someone born then is still alive.

Where Harper is most common

Relative to births, Vermont carries 3.6× the national share of Harpers. Wyoming, Maine and North Dakota follow.

Where Harper is used more than average5 states use the name Harper more than the national average.Alaska: not over-representedAKMaine: 2.6× the national rateMEVermont: 3.6× the national rateVTNew Hampshire: not over-representedNHWashington: not over-representedWAIdaho: not over-representedIDMontana: not over-representedMTNorth Dakota: 2.6× the national rateNDMinnesota: not over-representedMNIllinois: not over-representedILWisconsin: not over-representedWIMichigan: not over-representedMINew York: not over-representedNYOregon: not over-representedORNevada: not over-representedNVWyoming: 3.5× the national rateWYSouth Dakota: 2.5× the national rateSDIowa: not over-representedIAIndiana: not over-representedINOhio: not over-representedOHPennsylvania: not over-representedPANew Jersey: not over-representedNJConnecticut: not over-representedCTRhode Island: not over-representedRICalifornia: not over-representedCAUtah: not over-representedUTColorado: not over-representedCONebraska: not over-representedNEMissouri: not over-representedMOKentucky: not over-representedKYWest Virginia: not over-representedWVVirginia: not over-representedVAMaryland: not over-representedMDDelaware: not over-representedDEMassachusetts: not over-representedMAArizona: not over-representedAZNew Mexico: not over-representedNMKansas: not over-representedKSArkansas: not over-representedARTennessee: not over-representedTNNorth Carolina: not over-representedNCSouth Carolina: not over-representedSCDistrict of Columbia: not over-representedDCOklahoma: not over-representedOKLouisiana: not over-representedLAMississippi: not over-representedMSAlabama: not over-representedALGeorgia: not over-representedGAHawaii: not over-representedHITexas: not over-representedTXFlorida: not over-representedFL
Same as national3× or more
Location quotient, 2016–2025. Shaded states use the name more than the country does, relative to their own births. Exact figures are in the table below.
States where Harper is over-represented, 2016–2025. The location quotient compares the state's share of the name with the national share.
StateBirthsvs national rate
Vermont 229 3.6×
Wyoming 208 3.5×
Maine 510 2.6×
North Dakota 441 2.6×
South Dakota 452 2.5×

Is Harper a boy's or a girl's name?

95% girls5% boys
Share of all recorded US births under this name, 1880 to the latest year.

Across the whole record, 95.4% of births under the name were girls. The dominant sex is not the same at the end of the record as at the start.

Harper in England and Wales

In England and Wales, Harper ranked #23 in 2025 on 1,374 births.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Counts below three are suppressed by ONS.

Where the name Harper comes from

English Wiktionary: given name from surnames.

Notable people named Harper

Ordered by how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about them — a measure of reach, not of importance.
NameKnown forYearsEditions
Harper Lee American novelist 1926–2016 107
Harper Simon singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer 1972 9
Harper Williams American basketball player 1971 8
Photo credits (3)

The sharpest rise. Births under this name jumped from 2,975 in 2010 to 5,078 in 2011 — 1.7 times over in a single year.

Birth records contain the rise and nothing about its cause. This site does not supply one.

People and dates from Wikidata (CC0), limited to those with an English Wikipedia article who are known by this name as their first name.

Related pages

Get this data

Every number on this page is available as JSON: /api/name/harper.json. Free to use with attribution (CC BY 4.0).