Once in a while, a baby name hits the bullseye. It clicks with parents in a unique way and sends them hunting for more name ideas that can fill that same space in their hearts. Harper for girls is one such name.
Don't just take my word for it, ask the whole internet.
I turned to Google to find top completions for search phrases like "baby names like…" The result is a collection of unique baby name fashion flashpoints, including Harper. I recognize many of them as names that BabyNameWizard.com users look up at a tremendous rate, much higher than the names' actual usage would suggest. Most importantly, each of them is the epitome of a particular hot style with a character that's hard to match.
I'm taking up the challenge of finding alternatives for these names, starting today with Harper. Let's break down the elements of Harper's special appeal.
The Name Harper Is:
Unconventionally feminine. Harper is not a traditional girl's name, either in usage or sound. But because the most prominent Harper, author Harper Lee, was a woman, it doesn't come across as a boy's name being "repurposed." It's confidently if non-traditionally feminine.
Fresh for this generation. Have you ever personally met an adult woman named Harper? Mostly likely not, so it has no negative associations and nobody's gotten tired of it.
An action surname that doesn't get its hands dirty. Harper is one of a new generation of -er names that keep the "doer" energy of the suffix but lose the workaday connections of a Cooper or Tannner.
An artistic homage. Again thanks to Harper Lee, the name has a literary style that broadens its appeal and deepens its sophistication.
No other name will be a perfect match for all of those qualities, but each of the names below captures parts of Harper's allure.
17 GIRLS' NAMES LIKE HARPER
Briar
Rowan
Marlowe
Piper
Lennox
Sawyer
Sutton
Calder
Greer
Tatum
Winter
Carson
Tierney
Ember
Harlow
Scarlett
Juniper
