# Harper (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/harper/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname originating as an occupation for a player of the harp.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 124,461 |
| US rank (2010) | 245 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,481 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.8% (119,868 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈhɑɹpɚ/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Inherited from Middle English Harpere.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Harper in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 68% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 26% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.4% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Harper in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

## People named Harper

- Stephen Harper, 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015
- Ben Harper, American singer-songwriter and musician
- Valerie Harper, American actress (1939-2019)
- Ron Harper, American basketball player (born 1964)
- Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, American writer
- Hill Harper, American actor and political candidate (born 1966)
- Shane Harper, American actor and singer
- Jessica Harper, American actress (born 1949)
- Dawn Harper-Nelson, American hurdler
- Tess Harper, American actress
- William Jackson Harper, American actor
- Derek Harper, American basketball player (born 1961)

and 35 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Harbour, Harber, Harbert, Harford, Harvard, Harbor, Herbert, Hereford, Herber.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.