Total births
139,063
Girls' name · since 1971
Harper
139,063 babies named Harper in U.S. Social Security records since 1971, with the highest year being 2016. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #12
- among girls today
- 139,063
- born since 1971
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Harper is the #12 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 139,063 recorded since 1971.
Social Security Administration records show Harper recorded 139,063 times among girls since 1971, holding rank #12 nationally today, ahead of 99.9% of girls, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1971 to 2025.
- #12 among girls today
- 139,063 born since 1971
- 2010s peak decade
- 99.9% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Harper is currently the #12 girls' name in America, more common than 99.9% of girls - 139,063 born since 1971, peaking in the 2010s.
- #12
- among girls today
- 139,063
- born since 1971
- 2010s
- peak decade
- 99.9%
- more common than other girls
Harper vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#12
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 99.9% of names given to girls today.
2010s
Peak decade
61% of everyone ever named Harper was born in this single decade.
2016
Single peak year
10,803 babies were named Harper in 2016 - its busiest year on record.
How Harper compares
139,063 Top 2% higher than 98% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Harper's all-time total is 364x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Harper | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 139,063 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 10,803 | 48 | 19,840 |
Harper's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Harper splits its recorded history at 2000: 100% of all births land in the more recent half, 0% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1971 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2016 peak of 10,803 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Harper at a glance
Top 100 girls' namePeak year
2016
Current rank
#12
Active since
1971
Harper popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1971–2025
- Peak year (2016)
- 10,803
- Annual births at peak, across 55 years of records
Harper popularity over time - boys
6,769 total births recorded since 1881 (Harper as boys' name)
Harper by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2010s was Harper's strongest decade.
85,193 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 61% of all-time use.
Harper births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 45
1970s
45 births
- 1980s 82
1980s
82 births
- 1990s 563
1990s
563 births
- 2000s 5,671
2000s
5,671 births
- 2010s
2010s
85,193 births
- 2020s
2020s
47,509 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 85,193 births (61% of all-time use).
How Harper compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Harper's total volume
Harper vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Harper by state
Where Harper concentrates geographically, total births since 1971
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 11,145 | 8.0% |
| #2 | California | | 9,305 | 6.7% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 6,512 | 4.7% |
| #4 | Florida | | 6,229 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 5,700 | 4.1% |
| #6 | New York | | 5,418 | 3.9% |
| #7 | North Carolina | | 5,320 | 3.8% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 4,854 | 3.5% |
Texas share of Harper's total US births 8.0%
Even split
11,145 of 139,063 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Harper appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Harper? ▼
139,063 babies have been named Harper since 1971. It currently ranks #12 among girls. The peak year was 2016 with 10,803 births.
When was Harper most popular? ▼
Harper was most popular in the 2010s decade with 85,193 total births. The single peak year was 2016.
Where is Harper most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Harper are Texas (11,145 births), California (9,305 births), Ohio (6,512 births).
How long has the name Harper been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Harper since 1971 -- 55 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Harper? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Harriet, Harmony, Harley, Harriett, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Harper's data
- Harper's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (85,193 total births) through the 2020s (47,509) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Harpers (11,145 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Harper
Nearby Names Like Harper
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Harper
Harriet Girl
#1149 90,306 births
Harmony Girl
#264 36,226 births
Harley Girl
#396 31,167 births
Harriett Girl
#11124 21,621 births
Harlow Girl
#293 13,986 births
Compare Harper side by side: Harper vs Harriet Harper vs Harmony Harper vs Harley
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Harper
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1971–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Harper: #12 Girls' Name - 139,063 Births, Peak 2016." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/harper. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Harper draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.