girl's name
Piper
PY-pər
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 72,177
the United States
#155
2025 births
Piper is a girl's name of Old English origin meaning "pipe player." It is an occupational surname for a piper, and belongs to the small group of English trade names — with Cooper, Parker and Tanner — now used as first names.
- Piper is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2015, when 4,154 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,709 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1951.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Piper over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1950s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 295 |
| 1960s | 531 |
| 1970s | 719 |
| 1980s | 573 |
| 1990s | 1,273 |
| 2000s | 12,295 |
| 2010s | 33,192 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 14,056 |
What Piper means
Piper means one who plays the pipe. The Old English pipere described a professional musician, and in medieval England a piper was a recognized trade with a place in guilds and town payrolls.
Where Piper comes from
Piper comes from the Old English pipere, a pipe player, from pipe, itself from the Latin pipare, to chirp. Pipers were salaried municipal employees in many medieval English and Scottish towns, which is why the surname is widespread. Its use as a first name is recent and largely American; the television series Charmed, from 1998, gave the name to a lead character and our data shows a corresponding climb. It is unrelated to the Pied Piper of Hamelin, whose story is German and whose title is a description rather than a name.
Piper in use
Our data shows Piper stable, peaking in 2015, and it first appears in our records in 1951. It belongs to the occupational-surname group with Harper, Parker and Sawyer, all of which shifted to predominantly female use in America over the last thirty years — a pattern with no British equivalent.
How popular is Piper?
In 2025, Piper was given to 1,940 babies in the United States, ranking #155 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Piper is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Piper
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Piper also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Piper over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Piper
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Piper in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Pyper
Sibling names for Piper
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Piper — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Piper
What does the name Piper mean?
Piper means "pipe player," from the Old English pipere.
Is Piper an occupational name?
Yes — pipers were salaried town musicians in medieval England and Scotland, which is why the surname is widespread.
Is Piper a boy's or a girl's name?
Predominantly female in current use, following Harper, Parker and Sawyer in shifting that way in America.
How popular is the name Piper?
In 2025, Piper was given to 1,940 babies in the United States, ranking #155 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Piper?
Piper has 2 syllables.
When was Piper most popular?
Piper peaked in 2015, when 4,154 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Piper?
Piper is usually shortened to Pip.
Is Piper a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Piper currently ranks #155 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.