| Joan | Harper | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | God is gracious | Harp player |
| Origin | english | English |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | JOHN | HAR-per |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1971 |
| Peak year | 1932 (21,044) | 2016 (10,803) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 6,792 |
| Trend | Vintage | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Joan | Harper |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,031 | 47,509 |
| 2010s | 941 | 85,193 |
| 2000s | 1,003 | 5,671 |
| 1990s | 1,858 | 563 |
| 1980s | 3,300 | 82 |
| 1970s | 6,480 | 45 |
| 1960s | 36,676 | 0 |
| 1950s | 85,179 | 0 |
| 1940s | 117,708 | 0 |
| 1930s | 173,439 | 0 |
| 1920s | 45,351 | 0 |
| 1910s | 7,021 | 0 |
| 1900s | 863 | 0 |
| 1890s | 267 | 0 |
| 1880s | 121 | 0 |
A medieval English feminine of John, from Old French Johanne, ultimately from Hebrew 'Yochanan' ('Yahweh is gracious'). Like Jane, it descends from John rather than from Hannah.
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 Joan today: about 6,792 US babies were given the name Harper in 2025, compared with 0 named Joan.
Joan means God is gracious (english origin), while Harper means Harp player (English origin).
In US records, Joan first appears in 0 and Harper in 1971, so Joan has the longer recorded history.