Piper

How to say it

/ˈpaɪ.pɚ/

What it means

Old English occupational surname for someone who played the pipes (a piper, like a flute or bagpipe player). Originally masculine and a surname; the first-name use is modern and predominantly feminine, accelerated by Orange Is the New Black (2013).

Piper is an English occupational surname for a pipe-player — someone who played the pipes, bagpipes, or a recorder-like instrument. The surname has been common since the medieval period (folk musicians were essential to village life). As a first name Piper is American and modern: rare before 2000, then climbing fast. Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019), based on Piper Kerman's memoir of her time in federal prison, gave the name decisive English-language anchor. It entered the US top 100 in 2014. Single syllable... actually two syllables. No common short.

Heads-up notes

• Pop culture

  Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019, Piper Kerman's memoir and Piper Chapman's lead role) is the dominant US English-language anchor.

Who's worn it

Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.

• Piper Kerman American author, Orange Is the New Black memoir
• Piper Chapman Taylor Schilling's lead character in the Netflix series

Spelling variants

• Pyper

Names with the same feeling

• Harper Harp player
• Kennedy Helmeted head
• Paisley From Paisley, Scotland
• Ruby Red gemstone
• Wren Wren bird

See Piper from another angle