harper

plural harpers

1. A harpist, especially one who plays a traditional harp without pedals.

   The Harpe. […] A harper with his wreſt maye tune the harpe wrong Mys tunying of an Inſtrument ſhal hurt a true ſonge

   1568, William Cornishe [i.e., William Cornysh], “In the Fleete Made by Me William Cornishe otherwise Called Nyshwhete Chapelman with the Most Famose and Noble Kyng Henry the VII. His Reygne the XIX. Yere the Moneth of July. A Treatise betwene Trouth, and Information.”, in John Skelton, edited by J[ohn] S[tow], Pithy Pleasaunt and Profitable Workes of Maister Skelton, Poete Laureate, Imprinted at London: In Fletestreate, neare vnto St Dunstan-in-the-West by Thomas Marshe, →OCLC; republished as Pithy Pleasaunt and Profitable Workes of Maister Skelton, Poete Laureate to King Henry the VIIIth, London: Printed for C. Davis in Pater-noster Row, 1736, →OCLC, page 290

   Synonyms: harp-player, harpist

2. obsoleteAn old Irish brass coin bearing the emblem of a harp.

   the harper that was gathered amongst us to pay the piper

   1621 August 13 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), Ben Jonson, “The Masque of the Gypsies”, in Q. Horatius Flaccus: His Art of Poetry. […], London: […] J[ohn] Okes, for John Benson […], published 1640, →OCLC

plural Harpers

1. A surname originating as an occupation for a player of the harp.
2. A male given name transferred from the surname.
3. A female given name transferred from the surname, of modern usage.

   Two children who were killed in an attack on a Catholic school in Minneapolis have been identified by their parents as Harper Moyski, a "joyful" big sister, and Fletcher Merkel, who loved "any sport that he was allowed to play".

   2025 August 29, Max Matza, “A 'joyful' girl and a boy who loved sports - Victims in Minneapolis shooting identified”, in BBC, archived from the original on 29 Aug 2025

4. A number of places in the United States:
   1. An unincorporated community in Ogle County, Illinois.
   2. An unincorporated community in Decatur County, Indiana.
   3. A minor city in Keokuk County, Iowa.
   4. A city in Harper County, Kansas, named after Sgt. Marion Harper.
   5. An unincorporated community in Magoffin County, Kentucky.
   6. An unincorporated community in St. Clair County, Missouri.
   7. An unincorporated community in Logan County, Ohio.
   8. An unincorporated community in Ross County, Ohio.
   9. A census-designated place in Malheur County, Oregon.
   10. A census-designated place in Gillespie County, Texas.
   11. A ghost town in Carbon County and Duchesne County, Utah.
   12. An unincorporated community in Southworth census-designated place, Kitsap County, Washington.
   13. An unincorporated community in Albany County, Wyoming.
5. A rural community of Prince County, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
6. A town in Maryland County, Liberia, named after Robert Goodloe Harper.