How Many People Are Named John Harper?

There are approximately 1,241 people named John Harper living in the United States today. That makes this name combination common, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 276,192 Americans.

This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name John with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Harper. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.

Estimated People with This Name

1,241

1 in 276,192 Americans

Combination Rarity

Common

Very Rare Very Common

John: Popularity Over Time

Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name John. The peak year was 1947 with 88,524 births. The average person named John today is 57 years old.

Male
Female
0 18K 35K 53K 71K 89K 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Ancestry of the Harper Surname

Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Harper, from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau.

White
67.90%
Black
26.22%
Hispanic
2.31%
Asian/Pacific Islander
0.49%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.72%
Two or More Races
2.36%

How we calculated this

The first name "John" has an estimated frequency of 0.858% among living Americans, based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024 adjusted for mortality using CDC 2023 life tables.

The surname "Harper" appears at a rate of 42.19 per 100,000 people in the 2010 U.S. Census.

Multiplying these frequencies against the U.S. population of ~343 million gives 1,241 estimated people. This assumes first names and last names are statistically independent. Full methodology.

John Harper: Questions and Answers

How many people are named John Harper?

We estimate approximately 1,241 people named John Harper are alive in the United States today. The first name John is shared by 2,941,241 Americans, and the surname Harper is shared by 141,713.

How rare is the name John Harper?

This name combination is classified as Common, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 276,192 Americans. The first name John is very common and the surname Harper is common.

Is John a male or female name?

John is predominantly male, with 99.6% of bearers being male and 0.4% female. It peaked in popularity in 1947 and the average bearer today is 57 years old.

Where does this data come from?

First name data comes from the Social Security Administration (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables. Surname data comes from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau. Full methodology.

How Many of Me
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There are 1,241 people with the name

John Harper

in the United States

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