| Harper | Lily | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Harp player | Lily |
| Origin | English | english |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | HAR-per | LIL-ee |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1971 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2016 (10,803) | 2011 (8,192) |
| In 2025 | 6,792 | 6,673 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Harper | Lily |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 47,509 | 35,872 |
| 2010s | 85,193 | 68,316 |
| 2000s | 5,671 | 56,186 |
| 1990s | 563 | 9,772 |
| 1980s | 82 | 2,708 |
| 1970s | 45 | 1,220 |
| 1960s | 0 | 1,148 |
| 1950s | 0 | 1,426 |
| 1940s | 0 | 1,511 |
| 1930s | 0 | 2,229 |
| 1920s | 0 | 3,757 |
| 1910s | 0 | 2,795 |
| 1900s | 0 | 1,045 |
| 1890s | 0 | 979 |
| 1880s | 0 | 680 |
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.
IS a bloom word: from the flower name, which derives from Latin 'lilium' (lily). The lily is a traditional symbol of purity.
Harper is more popular than Lily today: about 6,792 US babies were given the name Harper in 2025, compared with 6,673 named Lily.
Harper means Harp player (English origin), while Lily means Lily (english origin).
In US records, Harper first appears in 1971 and Lily in 1880, so Lily has the longer recorded history.