So [name]Harper[/name] is my middle name, and it was my grandfather’s middle name. My whole life it has been my “secret baby name” – I planned to use it for a Boy or a Girl since it’s unisex.
However… as most of us are aware this name has become incredibly trendy for girls – I want to say it was #54 on the girl name list at Social Security this past year.
We have a 2nd choice name ready to go ([name]Archer[/name]) but I am still trying to cling to [name]Harper[/name], though I know I probably need to let it go. What say you, Namberry pros?
Your (brutally honest) feedback is much appreciated!
Tough decision here, truly. I love how [name]Harper[/name] is a family name and all the meaning that comes with that fact. I do not love how he may be in a class with not one, but two other Harpers that are girls. [name]Will[/name] he be teased? [name]Will[/name] people say he has a girl’s name? I do not know, only the future will tell.
You make the decision even more difficult because I think [name]Archer[/name] is wonderfully handsome & masculine name; therefore, it is a little hard to contend with.
Hmmm. I just don’t know to be honest.
I guess I am leaning more towards [name]Archer[/name] but I hate that [name]Archer[/name] [name]Harper[/name] cannot be used together. For that very reason, I think I like [name]Harper[/name] again.
Also wanted to add: If you are thinking of having any more babies, I would save this name for your girl! We often think of only our first child’s name when we get pregnant for the first time… and you will have more chances at naming if you want more than one child. If anything, it could at least be a middle name for another boy.
Wait, [name]Harper[/name] is more of a GIRL’S name? Really? I had no idea. I just checked its rankings, and you’re right, #54 for girls and #607 for boys. BUT, it looks like it has been climbing rapidly for boys since 2006, so there is a chance the boys may swing it somewhat back to their side in the coming years. If you hadn’t pointed it out, I would have assumed that any [name]Harper[/name] was a boy. I would have known that it COULD be a girl, but I would have considered that less likely. It looks all boy to me. If I were in your shoes, I think I would still use it. I say that, but of course I’m NOT in your shoes and who knows if I would be more hesitant to bestow a predominantly girls’ name on a son in reality. But my vote is for [name]Harper[/name].
[name]Harper[/name] continues to rise for boys despite its trendiness for a girl. It absolutely is not “out” unless parents of boys let it “go to the girls.” There is nothing about [name]Harper[/name] that is exclusively feminine.
There was a boy [name]Harper[/name] when I was growing up (he must be starting college right about now) and he was seriously the coolest kid around. Everyone loved him. I have nothing but good thoughts for it being used on a male. Maybe you can look more closely and see how common it is for girls in your area? I know it ranks high on the charts but I feel like all names have certain regions where they’re more popular than others. I’ve oddly never met a female [name]Harper[/name]. I would say that now with the [name]Beckham[/name] baby it may veer even more towards the girls. But I think it’s still unisex enough that it wouldn’t be a problem.
I can see how much it means to you but I have to say, honestly, I just couldn’t do it. Not right now when it is significantly more popular for girls. I’m pretty touchy when it comes to the child’s experience bearing a name: I know I can’t predict or even guess at every possible scenario, but those I can will affect my choice big-time. So I would choose the very cool [name]Archer[/name].
I’d never heard of [name]Harper[/name] being used for a boy, sorry! My only references are [name]Harper[/name] [name]Lee[/name] (female) and [name]David[/name] [name]Beckham[/name]'s daughter [name]Harper[/name]…
I love [name]Harper[/name] for a boy but hate it as a girl name. So what if he has female classmates with his name? I went to elementary school with [name]Courtney[/name]'s, [name]Stacey[/name]'s and [name]Angel[/name]'s of both genders and nobody cared.
[name]Don[/name]'t let the rankings scare you. I didn’t meet another person with my name until college and most people I meet say I’m the first person they’ve ever known with it. It ranked #49 the year I was born, so more popular than [name]Harper[/name] is now yet I can count on one hand how many people I’ve met with my name.
Yeah it’s tough, but I’d say [name]Harper[/name] is now in the same category as [name]Ashley[/name] and [name]Ariel[/name] where you never hear that for a boy anymore. If you really love it, maybe use it as a middle name. That way, you still get to use it and honour your family but you don’t have to worry about the possibilty of children teasing him for having a “girl name”.
I absolutely can’t stand it when someone brings Harper Lee up as justification for it being a girl’s name. She doesn’t even go by Harper!
The year I was born, Taylor ranked at #6 for girls and #69 for boys. Yet somehow Taylor is one of the most popular names for a guy at my high school, whereas we only have three or four girl Taylors. Theoretically your son could go through school and never have one female Harper in his classes. The idea of him being teased for having a girl’s name is ridiculous. I’ve had male classmates named Courtney, Ashley, Shannon, London, and Haven, and guess what? None of them were teased for their names. I don’t even think that name teasing is a thing anymore. I don’t know a single person who was teased for their name growing up.
In 2011 there were 4636 girls named Harper as compared to 399 boys. Those numbers may put you off, but they’re actually quite small. Divide 4636 by 50 and that’s only about 93 girl Harpers per state. It really isn’t as popular as people think it is.
This whole thing frustrates me so much. For a site that loves to fuss about so many boys’ names are “going to the girls,” we sure are squeamish about people wanting to use names “gone girl” on a boy.
You’ve nailed many of the points I was going to make. This is where stats can be deceiving. As you say, the chances of male [name]Harper[/name] being in a class with lots of girl [name]Harper[/name]'s is misleading despite the rankings. The names are not that common, unless there is a bubble in your particular area.
What I would say is more important is how the name is perceived. At the moment I suspect it is seen as a unisex name. If in 15 years it is seen almost exclusively as a “girl” name then attitudes might change, but right now I wouldn’t be so concerned and it’s fear like this that leads to boys names going all girl anyway.
Go for it! It’s not even remotely out of the question! [name]Even[/name] though I know one lady [name]Harper[/name], if I were to meet a guy [name]Harper[/name], I would not think of it as feminine at all. I think it’s more in the realm of [name]Taylor[/name] or [name]Alex[/name], where it truly is unisex rather than leaning one direction or the other.
I know of two [name]Harper[/name]'s through friend’s of friend’s etc. [name]One[/name] is a little boy and he’s 4 years old, and the other is a one year old named [name]Harper[/name] [name]Lily[/name] (which I really like, going against most of my rules here).
I think it’s gorgeous on a little boy, so unexpected and handsome.
It’s kind of like what happened to [name]Taylor[/name]. Sure it started as a unisex name, but over time more girls & more high-profile women had the name and now every time I hear it on a boy it seems like he has a girl’s name. Not in a bad way necessarily. I know men named [name]Leslie[/name], [name]Shannon[/name] & [name]Laurie[/name] (a la [name]Little[/name] Women) and all of those are the same story --unisex or men’s names that gradually went more female-usage. It comes down to whether it bothers you that people might expect a girl when they hear your son’s name. To me it would not.
[name]Harper[/name] is the Canadian Prime Ministers last name, and many people refer to him as just [name]Harper[/name]. In my mind, I think of him first and foremost when people say [name]Harper[/name], so I can definitely say Yes, it can be a boys name. (I actually don’t like it at all for a girl, makes me think Harpy)
but I have to say, honestly, I just couldn’t do it. Not right now when it is significantly more popular for girls. I’m pretty touchy when it comes to the child’s experience bearing a name: I know I can’t predict or even guess at every possible scenario, but those I can will affect my choice big-time. So I would choose the very cool [name]Archer[/name].