Name of the Week: Harper

 

 

Origin:

Harper is an English surname, derived from the Old English hearpere and Old French harpeor "one who plays the harp." For the Anglo-Saxons, music and storytelling was an important social pastime which passed down and preserved epic sagas and poetry. After feasts it was usual for a harp to be passed around the men of the hall so that each could take their turn to sing and entertain the crowd. The professional Anglo-Saxon storytellers or poets, called scops, who travelled from village to village, were also sometimes known as hearperes, indicating that the harp was an important tool in storytelling. In the Middle Ages, minstrels were a key part of celebrations, feasts and festivals. The harper was the most important of the minstrels, often the reciter and the composer of heroic epics and romantic love songs.

Usage:

As an occupational surname, Harper dates from the 12th century. One of the earliest examples comes from the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire which mentions a Robert le Harpur in 1186. Because the occupation was so common, the surname itself became widespread across Britain. As with most surnames, Harper came into use as a given name in the 16th century; often it was a family or godparent surname adopted as a baptismal name.  For the most part, examples of Harper before the 21st century are predominantly masculine. Census records for men and women with the first name Harper are as follows: 1841 census: 46 males, 7 females 1861 census: 81 males, 4 females 1881 census: 118 males, 4 females 1901 census: 139 males, 9 females One famous bearer of the 20th century is American author (Nelle) Harper Lee (1926-2016), the author of To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) which won the Pulitzer Prize the following year and was made into a popular film in 1962.  In America, Harper was in the top 1000 for boys in 1905 (#683) and 1906 (#779) but fell out after, not returning until 2006. For girls, Harper first entered the US top 1000 in 2004 at #887. It jumped to #296 in 2008 and #118 in 2010, no doubt helped by the popularity of the Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012), featuring the character Harper Finkle.  In England and Wales, Harper was given to no more than 10 babies for either gender up until 2007. In 2010, Harper ranked #897 (32 births) for boys and #930 (37 babies) for girls.  In both the US and the UK, Harper took a significant leap upwards for girls after David and Victoria Beckham named their daughter Harper Beckham in July 2011. It now ranks #11 in America.  In England and Wales, Harper jumped to #160 (322 births) in 2013 and #89 (623 births) in 2014. For boys, Harper also saw a modest rise, going from #821 (37 births) in 2013 to #670 (50 births) in 2014.  In Scotland, Harper joined the top 100 for girls in 2013 at #96 (50 births), rising to #71 (75 births) in 2014 and #36 (128 births) in 2015. For boys, Harper ranked #332 (12 births) in 2014 and #1234 (1 birth) in 2015.

Famous Bearers:

History: * (Ralph) Harper Goff (1911–1993), American artist, musician, and actor Contemporary: *(Nelle) Harper Lee (1926-2016), American author.  Literature and Other Media: * Harper Finkle, a character in the Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place. * Harper Connelly, title character of The Harper Connelly Mysteries novels by Charlaine Harris. Other: * Harper's Bazaar, an American women's fashion magazine, first published in 1867.

Variants:

N/A

Pronunciation:

HAR-pə  [key]

Possible  diminutives:

Harrie, Happy

Sibling Names:

Darcey     Ruby    Mila     Ariana     Freya     Autumn  Mason     Carter     Blake     Grayson     Brody     Sawyer

Name Lists:

Occupational Surnames

  

If you like Harper you may also like:   Hallie, Lacey, Skyla, Harlow, Avery, Aubrey, Piper, Bellamy, Macey, Belle

 

Thanks to Julia for requesting this post.