Fun Facts About the Name Piper
- More than 62 thousand babies named Piper: U.S. records list 62,913 babies given the name Piper from 1880 through 2025. Even 216 boys received the name Piper - about 1 boy for every 290 girls.
What Does the Name Piper Mean?
Piper is an English name meaning "pipe player" or "one who plays the pipe." It comes from the occupational surname Piper, which derives from Middle English piper, itself from Old English pīpere. That word is formed from pīpe, a pipe or wind instrument, and the agent suffix -ere, so the literal sense is a person who plays a pipe. The surname identified a musician, often a town or household piper. The given name is a transferred use of that surname rather than a separate coinage. Its meaning is occupational, not symbolic or derived from a similar-looking name.
Piper Name History & Origins
The surname Piper is an English occupational name. In medieval England, a piper was a musician who played a pipe, and the term could refer to a town musician, a servant in a noble household, or a traveling entertainer. The word is recorded in Old English as pīpere, formed from pīpe ("pipe") and the agent suffix -ere. By the later Middle Ages, occupational bynames had become hereditary surnames, so Piper passed from father to children regardless of their work. As a first name, Piper is a transferred use of that surname, not a name with a separate ancient origin. It is used mainly for girls in English-speaking countries, though it also appears as a boy's name. The Pied Piper of Hamelin, a figure from a German legend, is called a piper because he plays a pipe; the story uses the common noun and does not show that Piper was a given name in the Middle Ages.
How Popular is the Name Piper?
Piper recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2015. Piper entered the top 100 U.S. girl names in 2012.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #155 | 1,940 | 0.1207% |
| 2024 | #160 | 1,877 | 0.1164% |
| 2023 | #135 | 2,073 | 0.1293% |
| 2022 | #114 | 2,493 | 0.1521% |
| 2021 | #96 | 2,739 | 0.1670% |
| 2020 | #91 | 2,900 | 0.1795% |
| 2019 | #84 | 3,188 | 0.1900% |
| 2018 | #88 | 3,229 | 0.1899% |
| 2017 | #81 | 3,567 | 0.2067% |
| 2016 | #67 | 3,955 | 0.2233% |
| 2015 | #67 | 4,139 | 0.2319% |
| 2014 | #75 | 3,868 | 0.2166% |
| 2013 | #97 | 3,191 | 0.1819% |
| 2012 | #98 | 3,070 | 0.1744% |
| 2011 | #110 | 2,736 | 0.1556% |
| 2010 | #144 | 2,142 | 0.1205% |
| 2009 | #147 | 2,191 | 0.1193% |
| 2008 | #172 | 1,913 | 0.1012% |
| 2007 | #240 | 1,483 | 0.0771% |
| 2006 | #246 | 1,385 | 0.0729% |
| 2005 | #259 | 1,261 | 0.0682% |
| 2004 | #266 | 1,214 | 0.0661% |
| 2003 | #343 | 902 | 0.0494% |
| 2002 | #448 | 643 | 0.0358% |
| 2001 | #411 | 705 | 0.0392% |
| 2000 | #511 | 522 | 0.0287% |
| 1999 | #698 | 324 | 0.0183% |
| 1998 | #1,177 | 159 | 0.0090% |
| 1997 | #1,065 | 179 | 0.0103% |
| 1996 | #1,221 | 145 | 0.0083% |
| 1995 | #1,557 | 98 | 0.0056% |
| 1994 | #1,726 | 86 | 0.0048% |
| 1993 | #1,934 | 73 | 0.0040% |
| 1992 | #2,176 | 62 | 0.0034% |
| 1991 | #2,127 | 63 | 0.0034% |
| 1990 | #2,094 | 63 | 0.0033% |
| 1989 | #2,240 | 54 | 0.0029% |
| 1988 | #2,781 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 1987 | #1,981 | 57 | 0.0033% |
| 1986 | #2,101 | 51 | 0.0030% |
| 1985 | #1,894 | 59 | 0.0034% |
| 1984 | #1,937 | 54 | 0.0032% |
| 1983 | #1,923 | 54 | 0.0032% |
| 1982 | #1,866 | 58 | 0.0034% |
| 1981 | #1,657 | 70 | 0.0042% |
| 1980 | #1,513 | 79 | 0.0048% |
| 1979 | #1,621 | 70 | 0.0044% |
| 1978 | #1,337 | 90 | 0.0059% |
| 1977 | #1,334 | 86 | 0.0056% |
| 1976 | #1,768 | 54 | 0.0037% |
| 1975 | #1,511 | 68 | 0.0047% |
| 1974 | #1,458 | 69 | 0.0047% |
| 1973 | #1,428 | 69 | 0.0047% |
| 1972 | #1,443 | 68 | 0.0045% |
| 1971 | #1,540 | 64 | 0.0038% |
| 1970 | #1,319 | 81 | 0.0046% |
| 1969 | #1,541 | 60 | 0.0036% |
| 1968 | #1,254 | 77 | 0.0047% |
| 1967 | #1,455 | 59 | 0.0036% |
| 1966 | #1,363 | 65 | 0.0038% |
| 1965 | #1,572 | 51 | 0.0029% |
| 1964 | #1,348 | 70 | 0.0037% |
| 1963 | #1,667 | 48 | 0.0025% |
| 1962 | #1,727 | 44 | 0.0022% |
| 1961 | #2,103 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 1960 | #2,417 | 25 | 0.0012% |
| 1959 | #2,382 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1958 | #1,723 | 40 | 0.0020% |
| 1957 | #1,722 | 40 | 0.0020% |
| 1956 | #1,755 | 37 | 0.0018% |
| 1955 | #1,901 | 32 | 0.0016% |
| 1954 | #1,727 | 36 | 0.0019% |
| 1953 | #1,557 | 40 | 0.0021% |
| 1952 | #1,671 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 1951 | #3,441 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #11,939 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2021 | #9,473 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #13,558 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2018 | #9,444 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #7,988 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #7,035 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #6,226 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2014 | #7,419 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2013 | #10,448 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #5,663 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2011 | #8,600 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #6,615 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2009 | #10,682 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #14,097 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2006 | #7,861 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #6,128 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2004 | #8,011 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #9,364 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #7,476 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #8,116 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #8,003 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #6,953 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1998 | #8,227 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #10,399 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Piper Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Piper's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Piper's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.