Is Harper too tough and boyish for a girl?

I don’t think so, but then my sister was named after a rebellious Roman province.
It would be a name of honor if she is a fan of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series.

I don’t think so. To me it reminds me of softness and gentleness – like a harp sounds.

Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird,

She was happy with the name. “Tough” and “boyish” are not very helpful adjectives. What precisely do you mean?

I meant does it make a girl sound like a tough girl and a tomboy?

Why would it? You can name someone Honey Boo Boo or Magnolia Swoony, and she might easily cover herself in tattoos, pump iron, ride motorcycles and wear chains and leather if we are looking at clichés.

No

I don’t think so. I know a girl named Harper and she’s one of the nicest, smartest, and mild-mannered people I know. Aside from that, I don’t think it sounds “tough” or “boyish” at all, I think of it as more of a girl name in the first place. Either way, your cousin should name her baby whatever she wants to, regardless of the connotation it may or may not have.

Hmm, I see what you are getting at.

“harper”

My buddy wanted to name his kid, “Jocker” bless his heart. I think any name that ends in, “er” gives the name some sense of action.

I find it a bit trendy but not too boyish.

Too close to “Harpie.”

I love it. Harper Lee, a name I always liked, wrote “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

I actually like it, surprisingly. I usually stick with traditional names, but Harper for a girl seems alright. I don’t know if I personally would name a kid that, but I think it would fit some girls I know. Especially if the family is an outdoorsy, active type of a family, it would probably work quite well. I’m not saying kids always grow up to be like their parents, or that you can predict what a kid is going to be like. It just seems like a kid in that atmosphere would have a tendency to lean toward more of a “Harper” personality.
You’ll be glad to hear I’m done rambling nonsensically for the evening.

It’s fine, unless the last name begins with an R.

I’m a Canadian. So I think Harper is the least manly name anyone could have.

What a great name for a girl !

Sounds like a surname to me rather than an actual name. E.G. Ben Harper a TV character.

Gotta say again, I love the name Harper. I can just picture her. Great looking, smart as heck, very strong in her beliefs and opinions, not afraid to stand up for herself. I think the way people judge names is based on lots of factors, including what names they grew up, names they hear in the media, and images that get stuck in their heads associated with certain names. I used to have such an image of myself associated with my first name and have thought from time to time that I purposely developed certain traits in my personality to both gibe with and distance myself from that name. I associate the name Harper with the traits I mentioned above, some of them perhaps portrayed by the character of Harper Lee in the movie, “Capote.” I hope your cousin goes with that name.

For the record, all names are ridiculous. The fact that a collection of characters (and sounds) is supposed to imply something about the person is odd. The only way we associate “boy names” with boy-ness is that we happen to know boys who have those names. Names are simply labels, and they are subject to trends and popular culture.

Harper happens to be a popular female name, and it’s gaining in popularity. In 2011, it was ranked #54 (can search here). At this rate, it could be at #27 once the 2012 numbers are released. Asking if “Harper is too tough and boyish” will likely sound like asking if “Sophie (ranked #1 in US) is too tough and boyish”.

I love the name. I favor surnames for female first names—my daughter and granddaughter both have surnames as their firsts. Names are evocative; and like @Pachyderm_In_The_Room, I get a sense of her from the name: strong character (not “tough” like a bully; but someone who has deep values and upholds them).

Am I the only one who conjures up an image of a harper as someone who harps, in the sense of saying the same thing over and over again.

I like it! It reminds me of the name Harley, which is a name I love.

I can’t say that I’m a fan of “Harper.” She might pick up nicknames such as “Harpie” and “Harpo Marx.”

I think it is a pretty bad name, to be honest. As pointed out above, it is much to close to Harpy. She may also get a reputation for harping on people. But then I’m not really a fan of any invented name.