| Harper | Jane | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Harp player | God is gracious |
| Origin | English | english |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | HAR-per | JAYN |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1971 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2016 (10,803) | 1947 (9,943) |
| In 2025 | 6,792 | 1,380 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Harper | Jane |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 47,509 | 7,112 |
| 2010s | 85,193 | 10,278 |
| 2000s | 5,671 | 7,123 |
| 1990s | 563 | 6,691 |
| 1980s | 82 | 7,439 |
| 1970s | 45 | 9,483 |
| 1960s | 0 | 43,340 |
| 1950s | 0 | 82,919 |
| 1940s | 0 | 72,537 |
| 1930s | 0 | 45,814 |
| 1920s | 0 | 48,049 |
| 1910s | 0 | 27,740 |
| 1900s | 0 | 4,498 |
| 1890s | 0 | 3,882 |
| 1880s | 0 | 2,971 |
Harper is an English occupational surname for someone who played or made harps. Boosted by the novelist Harper Lee, it became a hugely popular girls’ name.
The common English feminine of John, from Old French Jehanne, ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' meaning 'Yahweh is gracious.' A John-root grace name, distinct from the Hannah-root names.
Harper is more popular than Jane today: about 6,792 US babies were given the name Harper in 2025, compared with 1,380 named Jane.
Harper means Harp player (English origin), while Jane means God is gracious (english origin).
In US records, Harper first appears in 1971 and Jane in 1880, so Jane has the longer recorded history.