How to say it
PI · per
ˈpaɪ.pɚ
Feminine
Piper
Pipe player
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.
How to spell Piper
The standard spelling is Piper. Common variants include Pyper, but Piper is the most widely used form.
Popularity over time
peaked at #67 in 2015, currently #155 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–2025. Reviewed July 2026. See where the names are moving
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
See Piper from another angle
By style
Common questions
- What does the name Piper mean?
- 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).
- What does Piper mean in Old English?
- In Old English, Piper means "Pipe player." 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.
- How do you pronounce Piper?
- Piper is pronounced ˈpaɪ.pɚ. Say it as PI-per, with the stress on the "pi" syllable.
- How do you spell Piper?
- The standard spelling is Piper. Common spelling variants include Pyper.
- Is Piper a boy or girl name?
- Piper is traditionally a feminine name.
- How popular is the name Piper?
- Piper ranked #155 in the U.S. in 2025, according to Social Security Administration data.