A name synonymous with French luxury and refinement, it is from the transferred use of the French surname. The surname itself is from Normandy, particular to Savigny where the Dior family originated. It is from a 16th-century typographical error of the patronymic surname Diot, which is a Medieval diminutive form of Denis.
Modern name sites often claim that Dior relates to the French word doré (“golden”) or the noun or (“gold”), likely influenced by the glamorous association with the fashion house. While this resemblance is phonetically appealing, it is not etymologically accurate. The historical record supports the Diot → Dior evolution rather than a direct link to doré.
Its use as a given-name is directly influenced by the brand and is currently only used in English-speaking counties. It is common among African-Americans, but has been occasionally used among other ethnic groups. It first came into use in the 1970s.
The name entered the U.S. popularity charts for both males and females in 2018. It is currently the 983rd most popular female and hasn’t appeared in the top 1000 male names since 2022.
The name Harvest is an English word name, derived from the Old English hærfest, meaning “autumn” or “time of gathering crops.” Originally, hærfest referred to the season of reaping, the period between late summer and early autumn when grain and fruit were collected.
The name first came into use on both males and females in the mid 1800s.
Rocket comes directly from the English word for the projectile or spacecraft. The word itself traces back to the Italian rocchetto (“bobbin, spool”), referencing the shape of early rockets.
Its use as a given-name is established though rare and very recent. It has been used interchangeably among males and females by several celebrities, including Pharrell Williams who bestowed this name on his son in 2008.
From the transferred use of the occupational surname, ultimately from the Anglo-Saxon, harpeare (harper), it originally referred to someone who made harps, and occasionally, it could also refer to a person who played harps.
Its earliest use as a male given-name I could find was for a Harper (or Harperus) Hobbins (1699-1701) of Warwickshire, England.
For females, it starts to appear mainly as a middle name, starting in the early 1800s in England. There is a marriage record from 1863 I could find for a woman named Harper Richards in Cornwall, England. Other than that, it remained very rare as a female first name until the 2000s.
A well-known early female bearer of this name was American author, Harper Lee (1926-2016 (though this was her middle name). In her case, she was named in honour of the family pediatrician who saved her younger sister, Louise.
However, its sudden rise in popularity for females in the Anglophone world was influenced by a combination of different factors likely not related to the author. Mainly:
It was the name of Harper Finkle on the Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012).
Victoria and David Beckham chose this for their daughter, Harper Seven Beckham (b. 2011)
Its similarity to other trendy unisex surname-turned-first names, such as Taylor, Piper and Avery.
Harper entered the U.S. Top 1000 in 2004, then skyrocketed. Since 2011, it has consistently ranked in the Top 20 for girls, making it one of the most successful modern surname-names. As of 2024, it is the 12th most popular female name in the United States. For males, it has not appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 since 2018.
Harper as a feminine given-name is now in circulation in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K.
Its ranking in other countries are as follows:
#7 (Australia, 2024)
#8 (New Zealand, 2024)
#21 (Scotland, 2024)
#23 (England & Wales, 2024)
#31 (Canada, 2023)
#51 (Northern Ireland, 2023)
#63 (Ireland, 2024)
#479 (the Netherlands, 2024)
It’s a crisp name with musical appeal, not too frilly, but also oddly feminine. However, it is at risk at dating itself to the mid to late 2000s. If you want something that is decidedly more feminine, and absolutely rare, you can try the Icelandic female name, Harpa, and Latvians have lettonized this to Harpera.
For fun, this is Harper’s translations in other languages. These are not used as actual names but are interesting hypothetical variations and perhaps inspiration as more unusual alternatives:
Female
Azifa (Arabic)
Kinara (Assyrian) – Legitimate name
Telennorez (Breton)
Qín 琴 (Chinese, pron: CHEEN) – Legitimate name
Xianzi 弦子 (Chinese, SHEN-zih) – Legitimate name
Telynyores (Cornish)
Harppuri (Finnish)
Kineret (Hebrew) – Legitimate name
Cláirseoir (Irish-Gaelic, KLAHR-shur)
Arpista (Italian, Spanish)
Koto 琴 (Japanese)
Arfininkė (Lithuanian)
Hafiarka (Polish)
Telynores (Welsh)
Male
Azif (Arabic)
Telennor (Breton)
Qín 琴 (Chinese, see above) – Legitimate name
Telynnyer (Cornish)
Cláirseoir (Irish-Gaelic, see above for pronunciation)
First Use: 1830 as a male name; 1886 as a female name
Gender: Unisex
Pron: TROOS
From the English word, meaning a temporary agreement to stop a war or a ceasefire, it has been in use as male name starting in the 1830s, and as a feminine given-name starting in the late 1800s. It appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 male names in 2024, coming in as the 991st most popular male name.
From the transferred use of the English place and surname, it is from the Anglo-Norse elements, welig (willow) and býr (farm, settlement).
It is the name of several towns in England, U.S., Australia and New Zealand.
By the 16th-century, there were already records of its use as a male name in England. By the 18th-century, it is already being used on females, especially in Norfolk.
Among males, it was born by three Aston Baronets, the first being Sir Willoughby Aston (1640-1702). It was born by American architect, Willoughby James Edbrooke (1843–1896), and English actor, Willoughby Gray (1996-1993).
From the transferred use of the British place name and surname, it is composed of the Anglo-Saxon byxe (box tree) and leah (meadow). Bexley was originally its own village but is now known as Bexleyheath in Greater London, it is also the name of a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Sydney, Australia and Christchurch, New Zealand.
As a given-name, there are some records for male Bexleys in Kent, England (where Bexleyheath was located) but it is exceedingly rare and was most likely a family name. It appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 female names in 2016 and currently ranks in as the 895th most popular female name.
Other forms include: Bexlie, Bexlee and the more modern Bexlin.
Origin: English Meaning: “council meadow; Tint’s meadow” Gender: unisex TINZ-lee
From the transferred use of the English surname, either composed of the Anglo-Saxon elements, Tingas-Leah, (council meadow), Tynni hlaw (Tynni’s hill) or Tint (unknown Anglo-Saxon male name) and leah (meadow). It is the name of town in Sheffield, England and a town in Mississippi, USA.
Its usage as a first name seems to be very recent, and has likely been popularized for females by American Socialite and reality star, Tinsley Mortimer (b. 1976). A notable male bearer is American rock and blues musician, Tinsley Ellis (b. 1957).
It first appeared in the U.S. Top 1000 Most Popular Female names in 2016. It ranked in at 720 in 2020 and currently comes in at #914.
From the name of the river in England, its etymology is unknown, possibly related to a theoretical Celtic word *tīn, meaning “river” or related to a theoretical pre-Celtic root word *tei, meaning “to melt, flow.” Alternately, it may be a short form of names ending in – tyne, -tine, there is sporadic use of this name in 18th-century records in England and the United States on both sexes which suggest they were short forms of Christian, Christine, Valentine and even Justine.
A notable bearer of this name is American actress, Tyne Daley (b. 1946), this appears to be her middle name.
From the vocabulary word, which ultimately derives from the Latin vallis of the same meaning, used to describe flat land between hills or mountains. Alternately, it may be a diminutive form of Valentine, Valentina or Valerie and spun off as an independent name, or it could be from the transferred use of a surname of the same former meaning.
It first appeared sporadically as a given name for both males and females in the 18th-century, both in England and the United States.
