Harper
Girl name · #16 in 2025 · Well-known
Harper ranks #16 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 6,792 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #10, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 265 girls born in 2025 was named Harper.
The 54-year story
Harper first appears in the Social Security records in 1971, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 2016, when 10,803 girls were named Harper — good for #11 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Harper per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Harper against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Harper in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Harper is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Harper is most common
Geography matters for names, and Harper is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Harper is most common in WY (17 per 1,000), VT (16 per 1,000), ME (14 per 1,000), NH (13 per 1,000), MT (13 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 5.2 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Harper is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Harper
Statistically, parents drawn to Harper tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Camila, Violet, Penelope, Aurora, and Aria.
CamilaVioletPenelopeAuroraAriaScarlettNoraEllie
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Harper | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6,792 | #16 |
| 2024 | 7,394 | #12 |
| 2023 | 7,799 | #11 |
| 2022 | 8,227 | #11 |
| 2021 | 8,448 | #10 |
| 2020 | 8,849 | #10 |
| 2019 | 10,497 | #9 |
| 2018 | 10,646 | #9 |
| 2017 | 10,524 | #11 |
| 2016 | 10,803 | #11 |
| 2015 | 10,311 | #10 |
| 2014 | 9,619 | #11 |
| 2013 | 8,284 | #16 |
| 2012 | 7,199 | #24 |
| 2011 | 4,676 | #54 |
| 2010 | 2,634 | #120 |
| 2009 | 1,904 | #173 |
| 2008 | 1,128 | #296 |
| 2007 | 729 | #440 |
| 2006 | 597 | #510 |
| 2005 | 363 | #741 |
| 2004 | 274 | #887 |
| 2003 | 200 | #1100 |
| 2002 | 164 | #1224 |
| 2001 | 176 | #1170 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Harper a popular girl name?
Harper ranked #16 among girls in 2025 with 6,792 babies given the name — firmly in the top 100, so yes, it’s a popular choice. Ten years earlier it ranked #10.
When was the name Harper most popular?
Harper peaked in 2016, when 10,803 American girls received the name (ranked #11 that year). Since 2016 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Harper?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 265 newborn American girls was named Harper. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.