Piper

• Origin: English
• Meaning: “piper; flute player.”
• Gender: technically unisex, now exclusively feminine
• First Est. 18th-century as a male given-name; became feminine in the 1960s

From the transferred use of the English occupational surname, literally meaning “a piper,” its usage as a female given-name began in the 1960s, mainly due to the fame of actress Piper Laurie (1932–2023, née Rosetta Jacobs). Its appearance as the name of one of the main characters in the WB show Charmed (1998-2006), coupled with Orange is the New Black (2013-2019), may have helped propel the name to enter the Top 100 by the mid 2010s.

Prior to this period, Piper was used as a male given-name. There are numerous records of male Pipers from colonial America up until the 1920s, many of whom appear to have been named in honour of their mother’s maiden name. After the 1920s, its usage as a male name seems to have declined, while by the 1960s it began to emerge as a female given-name.

Charmed debuted in 1998; the following year, Piper first entered the U.S. Top 1000 Most Popular Female Names. By 2012, it entered the U.S. Top 100 and peaked at #67 between 2015–2016. As of 2025, it was the 155th most popular female name.

Its rankings in other countries are as follows:

• #100 (Australia, 2025)
• #212 (England & Wales, 2025)

Piper is also the Latin name for pepper.

A sexier, sleek and more unique alternative may be Pfeiffer (which is the German version of this name).

Sister Names: Aspen, Auburn, Avalon, Avril, Beige, Bellamy, Bronte, Brynn, Cadence, Cambrie, Calliope, Dallas, Eden, Ever/Everl(e)y, Fallon, Flannery, Haven, Harper, Holland, Lark, Lyric, Maris, Meadow, Merle, Paisley, Poe, Rue, Rumer, Sable, Scout, Skyler, Summer, Tatum, Winter

Brother Names: Archer, Ash, Basil, Camden, Chandler, Chase, Dallas, Dexter, Drake, Easton, Finn, Fo(r)rest, Frasier, Gage, Graham, Grant, Hamish, Heath, Jasper, Langston, Lennox, Mercer, Miles, Preston, Quinn, Rhett, Ryder, Rylan, Schuyler, Sterling.

Sources

• https://www.behindthename.com/name/piper
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_(given_name)