How Many People Are Named Harper?
An estimated 137,171 people in the United States have the first name Harper. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #391 overall. It is predominantly female (95.2%). The average bearer is 10 years old, and Harper peaked in popularity in 2016 with 11,101 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Harper as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Harper paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Harper has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
- While Harper is overwhelmingly female, 6,692 male births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Harper is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 10, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.
Estimated Living Americans
137,171
About 1 in 2,499 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Female
95.2% confidence
Average Age
10
years old
Peak Year
2016
11,101 births
Total Registered
138,906
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Harper
Harper is predominantly female (95.2%), though 6,692 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Harper as a male name
Ranked #1,791 in 2024
91 male births in 2024
Peak: 2012 (416 births)
Harper as a female name
Ranked #12 in 2024
7,370 female births in 2024
Peak: 2016 (10,802 births)
Harper: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Harper span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 88,375 babies were registered. While Harper is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Harper by Decade
How has Harper tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Harper by State
Birth registrations for Harper span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, Ohio. The lowest are in District of Columbia, Rhode Island, Hawaii. On average, about 2,654 Harpers were registered per state.
Harper + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Harper as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Harper
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
Harper: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Harper?
We estimate approximately 137,171 people named Harper are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,499 Americans share this first name.
Is Harper a common name?
Harper is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.6% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 138,906 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Harper most popular?
Harper reached peak popularity in 2016, when 11,101 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Harper is approximately 10 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Harper a female name?
Harper is predominantly female. 95.2% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Harper Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Harper Smith, Harper Johnson, Harper Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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