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