Along with the Garner-Affleck power couple, Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl and his wife Jordyn chose Violet for their daughter a few years ago, leading to a boomlet in lavender-colored baby gear.

Their second daughter has arrived, and she’s named Harper Willow. Apparently, Harper is a choice from dad’s family tree.

Violet continues to rise, reaching #231 in 2007. At #441, Harper is slightly more obscure – but then, so was Violet before Hollywood went gaga over the colorful, botanical appellation.

Anyone want to guess Harper’s ranking in 2011?

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

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  1. Nope, this one’s not for me. I adore Violet, but Harper and Willow both feel so incredibly trendy to me it’s not funny. I think both Violet & Harper will shoot up the charts, but Harper will date quicker, as she feels trendier? I don’t really know what I’m on about 🙂

    Anyway, I agree with Elizabeth & Emmy Jo that Harper and Willow have the exact same feel to me, and so the pairing leaves me thinking it’s a little bland, as they don’t compliment each other, IYKWIM?

  2. Harper is my maiden name, and I really want to like it (and potentially use it) as a given name, but I can’t quite get past the weirdness of my former last name as a first name.

    Harper Willow is nice, though. It’s a really hard name to match. Willow Harper sounds slightly better to me, but it’s nice enough the way it is, I guess.

  3. My first thought: This feels just like a mixed-up version of Harlow Winter.

    My second thought (exactly what Elizabeth said): Harper and Willow do sound more like siblings’ names than a first and a middle name.

    My third thought: I like both names; I’m not completely “wow”ed by them, but I like them. I DO agree with Lola, though, that Violet and Willow would have been a bit sweeter for sisters’ names.

  4. I do think Harper is very pretty and love the musical connection. Somehow stylistically though, Harper and Willow strike the same note for me, and seem better paired as sisters than in one name. Still, I shouldn’t be too critical. It just doesn’t have the Victorian feel that I love about Violet Maye.

    Lots of current sounds in overlapping names seem very “late aughts”: Harper-Willow-Harlow-Shiloh-Marlo-Marley-Harley…

  5. Nah, not my cup of meatballs. Harper makes this former D&D player think of Harpy immediately. Blah. More power to them for not having that sort of viseral ugh, but I still don’t like it. Willow Harper would have pleased me more as a sister for Violet.

  6. I actually really like Harper. A friend of a friend named her daughter this in ’08 and I just really like it, which is not usual for me and gender-neutral names. It also has that -ar in the middle (what’s with me and that sound?) and I like H-starter names too. While Harlow isn’t for everyone, I like Nicole Richie’s baby name choice, but Harper has even more substance and is almost edgier to me. I love that it has the lit connection (Harper Lee) and generally think it’s a great name. I’d bet you are right on with your prediction that it will storm up the charts over the next couple of years, but I that won’t bother me too much – I like it.