Harper began as an English occupational surname for someone who played the harp — a minstrel. The harp was a noble instrument in Celtic and Anglo-Saxon culture, associated with poets, courts, and bardic traditions, so the harper held a respected place in the community.
The name shifted from surname to first name in the twentieth century, primarily through Harper Lee, the American author of To Kill a Mockingbird. Its current popularity is a 2010s phenomenon: David and Victoria Beckham named their daughter Harper Seven in 2011, and the name became one of the fastest-rising girl names of the decade.
Harper reduces to six — the number of creativity, beauty, and natural empathy.