Harper Surname
Approximately 235,899 people bear this surname
Harper Surname Definition:
This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the harper,' one who made his living by playing at fair and festival; compare Fidler, Tabor, Crowther, Piper, &c. Sometimes these names represent an official position, being musical performers in the pay of royalty or the greater lords.
Read More About This SurnameHarper Surname Distribution Map
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 161,704 | 1:2,241 | 224 |
| England | 33,240 | 1:1,676 | 190 |
| Australia | 12,061 | 1:2,238 | 293 |
| Canada | 10,976 | 1:3,357 | 429 |
| Scotland | 4,013 | 1:1,334 | 227 |
| New Zealand | 2,580 | 1:1,755 | 221 |
| South Africa | 2,347 | 1:23,084 | 2,931 |
| Wales | 1,359 | 1:2,277 | 244 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,246 | 1:1,481 | 316 |
| Jamaica | 894 | 1:3,210 | 478 |
| Ireland | 730 | 1:6,451 | 970 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 503 | 1:2,712 | 460 |
| Barbados | 489 | 1:588 | 161 |
| Guyana | 249 | 1:3,061 | 565 |
| Dominican Republic | 247 | 1:42,239 | 2,243 |
| Saudi Arabia | 239 | 1:129,104 | 17,726 |
| Germany | 190 | 1:423,713 | 38,363 |
| Thailand | 178 | 1:396,845 | 69,813 |
| Panama | 170 | 1:23,013 | 1,466 |
| Spain | 168 | 1:278,286 | 17,191 |
| Mexico | 155 | 1:800,814 | 11,677 |
| France | 123 | 1:540,022 | 73,838 |
| Liberia | 108 | 1:40,820 | 3,745 |
| Portugal | 104 | 1:100,175 | 4,850 |
| Suriname | 89 | 1:6,209 | 1,452 |
| Netherlands | 88 | 1:191,900 | 26,970 |
| Russia | 81 | 1:1,779,297 | 115,341 |
| Brazil | 79 | 1:2,709,802 | 80,941 |
| New Caledonia | 73 | 1:3,784 | 630 |
| Norway | 73 | 1:70,442 | 9,915 |
| Northern Cyprus | 66 | 1:4,834 | 945 |
| Singapore | 60 | 1:91,795 | 3,674 |
| Philippines | 59 | 1:1,715,902 | 111,316 |
| Switzerland | 58 | 1:141,602 | 13,683 |
| Japan | 57 | 1:2,242,882 | 29,184 |
| Chile | 56 | 1:314,580 | 8,983 |
| Solomon Islands | 56 | 1:10,358 | 1,805 |
| India | 53 | 1:14,472,932 | 242,024 |
| Isle of Man | 53 | 1:1,619 | 284 |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 48 | 1:2,347 | 425 |
| Guam | 41 | 1:3,905 | 492 |
| Jersey | 39 | 1:2,544 | 430 |
| Sweden | 38 | 1:259,125 | 17,909 |
| Denmark | 34 | 1:166,021 | 14,242 |
| Italy | 34 | 1:1,798,726 | 86,050 |
| Saint Lucia | 32 | 1:5,587 | 741 |
| China | 30 | 1:45,577,386 | 2,472 |
| Kuwait | 29 | 1:131,058 | 14,967 |
| Belgium | 28 | 1:410,594 | 42,948 |
| Grenada | 28 | 1:3,876 | 538 |
| Gibraltar | 25 | 1:1,358 | 302 |
| Argentina | 24 | 1:1,780,976 | 92,783 |
| Malaysia | 22 | 1:1,340,647 | 57,034 |
| Nigeria | 20 | 1:8,857,138 | 186,571 |
| United States Virgin Islands | 20 | 1:5,519 | 844 |
| Cyprus | 16 | 1:55,305 | 5,325 |
| Cayman Islands | 14 | 1:4,564 | 572 |
| Czechia | 13 | 1:817,959 | 70,223 |
| Hong Kong | 13 | 1:564,268 | 3,428 |
| Bermuda | 12 | 1:5,440 | 820 |
| Israel | 10 | 1:855,763 | 54,181 |
| United Arab Emirates | 10 | 1:916,227 | 36,116 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 9 | 1:11,019 | 1,084 |
| Aruba | 9 | 1:11,497 | 1,511 |
| Bahrain | 9 | 1:149,845 | 5,469 |
| Morocco | 9 | 1:3,830,678 | 54,497 |
| Afghanistan | 8 | 1:4,019,148 | 21,487 |
| South Korea | 8 | 1:6,405,032 | 1,091 |
| Colombia | 7 | 1:6,824,867 | 22,056 |
| Venezuela | 7 | 1:4,314,868 | 39,591 |
| Egypt | 6 | 1:15,322,626 | 62,302 |
| Finland | 6 | 1:916,117 | 41,832 |
| Greece | 6 | 1:1,846,632 | 89,049 |
| Honduras | 6 | 1:1,469,407 | 5,474 |
| Iceland | 6 | 1:63,348 | 4,218 |
| Indonesia | 6 | 1:22,041,532 | 555,748 |
| Qatar | 6 | 1:393,000 | 55,922 |
| Pakistan | 5 | 1:35,728,777 | 102,388 |
| Poland | 5 | 1:7,601,750 | 167,855 |
| Slovakia | 5 | 1:1,067,290 | 85,393 |
| Belarus | 4 | 1:2,375,265 | 105,497 |
| Cambodia | 4 | 1:3,871,786 | 9,580 |
| Dominica | 4 | 1:18,973 | 529 |
| Guernsey | 4 | 1:16,110 | 1,225 |
| Iraq | 4 | 1:8,755,414 | 23,373 |
| Kazakhstan | 4 | 1:4,420,624 | 134,293 |
| Namibia | 4 | 1:602,350 | 12,421 |
| Vietnam | 4 | 1:23,161,514 | 3,610 |
| Yemen | 4 | 1:6,606,324 | 25,896 |
| Bulgaria | 3 | 1:2,326,302 | 54,089 |
| Ecuador | 3 | 1:5,301,949 | 30,184 |
| Moldova | 3 | 1:1,187,123 | 48,973 |
| Turkey | 3 | 1:25,940,474 | 162,557 |
| Zimbabwe | 3 | 1:5,146,080 | 115,446 |
| Anguilla | 2 | 1:6,718 | 471 |
| Austria | 2 | 1:4,257,718 | 99,224 |
| Croatia | 2 | 1:2,114,302 | 85,143 |
| Ghana | 2 | 1:13,510,346 | 23,679 |
| Hungary | 2 | 1:4,908,138 | 64,617 |
| Laos | 2 | 1:3,294,162 | 1,900 |
| Malawi | 2 | 1:8,559,554 | 34,093 |
| Montserrat | 2 | 1:2,474 | 299 |
| Mozambique | 2 | 1:13,630,784 | 7,358 |
| Oman | 2 | 1:1,843,986 | 9,590 |
| Peru | 2 | 1:15,892,062 | 51,966 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2 | 1:27,600 | 1,126 |
| Togo | 2 | 1:3,623,884 | 11,997 |
| Albania | 1 | 1:2,914,055 | 29,474 |
| American Samoa | 1 | 1:55,758 | 3,072 |
| Azerbaijan | 1 | 1:9,649,122 | 47,873 |
| Bahamas | 1 | 1:391,751 | 2,737 |
| Bangladesh | 1 | 1:159,356,773 | 26,077 |
| Belize | 1 | 1:355,474 | 3,977 |
| Benin | 1 | 1:10,335,602 | 103,742 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | 1:3,536,402 | 19,532 |
| Botswana | 1 | 1:2,186,929 | 30,250 |
| British Virgin Islands | 1 | 1:31,594 | 1,029 |
| Burundi | 1 | 1:9,804,852 | 2,349 |
| Cape Verde | 1 | 1:529,642 | 6,792 |
| Comoros | 1 | 1:749,524 | 685 |
| Costa Rica | 1 | 1:4,780,069 | 13,345 |
| Curaçao | 1 | 1:157,247 | 1,313 |
| Djibouti | 1 | 1:914,932 | 1,612 |
| El Salvador | 1 | 1:6,343,888 | 8,415 |
| Estonia | 1 | 1:1,321,804 | 40,178 |
| Fiji | 1 | 1:894,391 | 4,568 |
| Georgia | 1 | 1:3,745,545 | 47,852 |
| Jordan | 1 | 1:8,842,437 | 26,010 |
| Latvia | 1 | 1:2,050,046 | 60,295 |
| Lebanon | 1 | 1:5,637,083 | 32,436 |
| Libya | 1 | 1:6,243,974 | 6,186 |
| Lithuania | 1 | 1:3,034,588 | 47,401 |
| Luxembourg | 1 | 1:580,542 | 15,155 |
| Malta | 1 | 1:430,272 | 3,380 |
| Mauritius | 1 | 1:1,293,417 | 16,552 |
| Monaco | 1 | 1:37,066 | 4,748 |
| Nepal | 1 | 1:28,480,956 | 22,413 |
| Nicaragua | 1 | 1:6,021,090 | 8,768 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 1 | 1:54,580 | 1,498 |
| Palau | 1 | 1:21,643 | 223 |
| Papua New Guinea | 1 | 1:8,153,717 | 181,784 |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | 1:3,550,139 | 9,109 |
| Romania | 1 | 1:20,077,870 | 89,414 |
| Rwanda | 1 | 1:11,364,978 | 5,947 |
| Serbia | 1 | 1:7,144,948 | 38,459 |
| Sierra Leone | 1 | 1:7,089,631 | 1,533 |
| Slovenia | 1 | 1:2,487,675 | 31,128 |
| Sudan | 1 | 1:37,510,195 | 14,259 |
| Taiwan | 1 | 1:23,444,746 | 93,622 |
| Transnistria | 1 | 1:474,699 | 17,893 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 1 | 1:34,329 | 862 |
| Uganda | 1 | 1:39,039,279 | 258,887 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 1,384 | 1:3,201 | 593 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 15,796 | 1:1,543 | 193 |
| Scotland | 3,082 | 1:1,215 | 213 |
| Wales | 320 | 1:4,901 | 336 |
| Isle of Man | 10 | 1:5,427 | 530 |
| Jersey | 9 | 1:5,765 | 1,004 |
| Guernsey | 1 | 1:32,656 | 2,283 |
| Place | Incidence | Frequency | Rank in Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 26,982 | 1:1,861 | 192 |
Harper (2,584) may also be a first name.
Harper Surname Meaning
From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history
This surname is derived from an occupation. 'the harper,' one who made his living by playing at fair and festival; compare Fidler, Tabor, Crowther, Piper, &c. Sometimes these names represent an official position, being musical performers in the pay of royalty or the greater lords. 'Harpowre, citharista': Prompt Parv.
Henry le Harpur, Cambridgeshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.
Ralph le Harpur, Oxfordshire, ibid.
Nicholas le Harpur, Cambridgeshire, ibid.
Adam le Harper, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.
Thomas le Harpour, Somerset, 1 Edward III: ibid.
Isabella Herpour, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.
Willelmus Harper, 1379: ibid.
Rogerus Harper, 1379: ibid.
1748. Married — Sir Lister Holte and Mary Harpur: St. George, Hanover Square.
From the office of "harper." in early times the harper was a hereditary official in the households of many great families, and the Brehon laws rank the harp as "the one art of music which deserves nobility" (Brehon laws V, p. 107). In some districts lands were attached to the office as shown by the place names Croit a' Chlarsair, "the Harper's Croft," in the parish of Kiltarlity, near Dundonald, Ayrshire, and elsewhere, and the lands of Harperfield in the parish of Lesmahagow are probably of the same origin. "The last hereditary harper appears to have been Murdoch Macdonald, harper to Maclean of Coll, who died at an advanced age in 1739" (Clan Donald, III, p. 126). Several individuals named Harper appear in the Ragman Roll as having rendered homage in 1296: (1) William le Harpur of La Lawe, of the county of Edinburgh His seal bears a shield charged with a harp, S' Walraun le Harpevr (Bain, II, p. 201,547). (2) Uctins le Harpur of the county of Lanerk, a tenant of Will am of Moravia. His seal carries a crosspatee and the legend S'Oting le Harp'e (ibid., II, p. 208,553). In the same year a writ was issued to the sheriff of Lanark to restore his lands to Ughtred le Harpur (ibid., p. 225). (3) Robert le Harper of the county of Are, (4) Johan le Harpur of the county of Berewyk, and (5) Rogier le Harpur of Hom', also of the county of Berewyk, ere the others named in the record. In 1297 a messuage in Berwick-on-Tweed and a particate of land in the Fyskergate was granted to Ughtred le Harpur and his heirs (ibid., 915). Walter Harper was a tenant of the Douglases in the barony of Buittle in 1376 (RHM., I, p. lix), and Pate Harper, clarsha (G. clarsair) had a payment of xiiijs. In 1507 (ALHT., III, p. 392). As this name is fairly common in the Stewartry it is probably a translation of Macchruiter, which see, which in Gaelic has the meaning of "son of the harper.".
(English) Harp-Player [Old English h(e)arpere] Hugh le Harper.—Parl. Writs.
Ralph le Harpur.—Hundred Rolls
Numerous in Ulster. The form Harpur is found. in Co. Wexford. MIF 281*
(English, Scottish) One who played the harp at fair and festival, or for an important lord, often an hereditary official.
A performer on the harp.
From the Old Norse, Erpr; from the Danish, Arp; from the Swedish, Arpi, Hjerpe; from the Dutch, Arp; in the Domesday Book, Erp, Hapra; a personal name.
Harper: Most large castles had in them the harper. The surname remains.
Harper Demographics
Average Male Harper Height
177.1 cm
Average Female Harper Height
163.04 cm
Sample is predominantly from Anglosphere countries
Harper Last Name Facts
Where Does The Last Name Harper Come From? nationality or country of origin
Harper (Arabic: هاربر) is held by more people in The United States than any other country/territory. It can occur as:. For other potential spellings of this name click here.
How Common Is The Last Name Harper? popularity and diffusion
The last name is the 2,322nd most commonly held family name on a worldwide basis It is held by approximately 1 in 30,893 people. This last name occurs mostly in The Americas, where 69 percent of Harper reside; 68 percent reside in North America and 68 percent reside in Anglo-North America. Harper is also the 144,739th most frequently used first name internationally, borne by 2,584 people.
The surname Harper is most commonly occurring in The United States, where it is held by 161,704 people, or 1 in 2,241. In The United States Harper is most common in: Texas, where 9 percent are found, Georgia, where 8 percent are found and California, where 7 percent are found. Other than The United States it exists in 151 countries. It also occurs in England, where 14 percent are found and Australia, where 5 percent are found.
Harper Family Population Trend historical fluctuation
The incidence of Harper has changed over time. In The United States the number of people bearing the Harper surname expanded 599 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it expanded 210 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it expanded 130 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it expanded 425 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it declined 47 percent between 1901 and 2014.
Harper Last Name Statistics demography
The religious devotion of those holding the Harper last name is primarily Presbyterian (43%) in Ireland.
In The United States those holding the Harper surname are 13.55% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 60.32% being registered to vote for the political party.
The amount Harper earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 2.85% more than the national average, earning 355,956 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 62.97% more than the national average, earning R 387,288 per year; in United States they earn 5.83% less than the national average, earning $40,635 USD per year and in Canada they earn 2.78% less than the national average, earning $48,303 CAD per year.
Phonetically Similar Names
Harper Name Transliterations
| Transliteration | ICU Latin | Percentage of Incidence |
|---|---|---|
| Harper in the Arabic language | ||
| هاربر | harbr | - |
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Harper Reference & Research
Harper FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.
Harper FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.
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Footnotes
- Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
- Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
- Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
- Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
- Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
- Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
- Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Harper
- To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on FamilySearch, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis