Earlier this week, in honor of Labor Day, we put the boys to work. Cooper made barrels. Mason worked with stone. Carter hauled the goods. And Walker — much to everyone's surprise — spent his days helping turn freshly woven wool into finished cloth.
But surely occupational names are mostly a boys' thing...right? Not even close.
Some of today's most stylish girls' names also began life on the job. A Harper played the harp. A Piper played the pipes. A Taylor made clothes. And a Bailey? She apparently had considerably more authority than the rest of them.
So we're heading back to work.
Using the latest 2025 U.S. baby-name rankings, we've found the 10 most popular occupational names for girls in America right now — and this list might be even more surprising than the boys'. We're back on the clock counting down to #1.
#10 Hunter — #842
THE JOB: Hunter
Yes, Hunter made both lists. Long before it became a rugged modern first name, Hunter was an English occupational surname for someone who hunted game, whether for food, sport or as part of a noble estate.
Hunter has traditionally been much more popular for boys, but girls have quietly joined the hunting party at an entry level position. In 2025, the name ranks #842 for American girls.
#9 Miller — #571
THE JOB: Miller
Before Miller became a cool surname-style baby name, a miller was the person responsible for operating a mill and grinding grain into flour. And this was no minor village side hustle. Bread was a staple of medieval life, which made access to the local mill essential — and the miller a familiar and important figure in the community.
Today, Miller feels crisp, modern and decidedly fashionable, with very little flour dust left on it. At #571, it's still relatively uncommon for girls — but it's officially on the clock.
#8 Carter — #454
THE JOB: Cart driver and hauler of goods
Look who's back. Carter also appeared on our boys' list, where it ranked all the way up at #45. For girls, it's much less common at #454 — but the original job description remains exactly the same.
A Carter transported goods by horse-drawn cart, hauling crops, timber, supplies and merchandise from one place to another. As we said earlier this week, Carter was basically the original Amazon delivery driver — minus the tracking notifications and the mysterious package that somehow ends up behind the shrubbery.
Ten centuries later, Carter has traded in the cart for a spot on both baby-name charts. That's some serious job mobility.
#7 Taylor — #403
THE JOB: Tailor
This one has been hiding in plain sight.
Taylor comes from the occupational surname for a tailor — someone who cut, fitted and made clothing. The surname ultimately traces back through Old French to a word meaning “to cut.” In other words, long before Taylor Swift was stitching together record-breaking tours and breakup songs, the original Taylor was stitching together clothes.
The name became a huge favorite for American girls in the 1990s, reaching the Top 10 and staying there for years. Today it has fallen to #403, but its decades of popularity have made Taylor feel so completely like a first name that it's easy to forget there was ever a sewing table involved. ✂️ Sharp choice (pun intended).
#6 Paige — #346
THE JOB: Page / young attendant
Here's where the list gets a little sneaky. A page wasn't a tradesperson exactly — he was a young attendant-in-training, apprenticed to a knight or noble household, doing the grunt work on the path to bigger things. It's one of the only "occupations" on this list that was explicitly a job for children, which makes it a delightfully on-brand pick for baby names. The extra "i" is a modern flourish; the job itself dates back to feudal households.
Eventually, the occupational designation became a surname — and centuries later, Paige emerged as a distinctly feminine first name. So yes: one of today's familiar girls' names can trace its story back to the very first rung on the medieval corporate ladder. At #346, Paige is still on the payroll.
#5 Sawyer — #291
THE JOB: Timber sawyer
Another return visitor from the boys' list — and another job that required considerably more muscle than its modern name suggests (ask anyone who's used a two-man saw). A sawyer was someone who sawed logs into usable timber, back when turning a tree into building material involved serious stamina and absolutely no power tools. Sawyers helped provide the timber used to build houses, barns, ships, furniture and countless other necessities of everyday life.
One of the more recent occupational names to break into mainstream use for girls, helped along by a certain Lost castaway and a rising taste for names with visible consonants and audible confidence. Sawyer sounds like it works out. Because, historically, it did.
For girls, it ranks #291. From sawdust to birth announcements. Not a bad career change.
#4 Bailey — #209
THE JOB: Bailiff / administrator
Surprise!
Bailey doesn't come from someone making bailey-shaped objects. The occupational surname is associated with the medieval bailiff, an official entrusted with administrative authority — often overseeing land, collecting rents or accounts, and generally making sure somebody else's estate stayed in order. Basically, while everyone else on this list was sawing wood, sewing clothes and hauling carts, Bailey was in management.
The name became a major unisex favorite in America during the late 20th century and has been especially successful for girls. At #209, Bailey still has a very respectable position. Middle management, perhaps — but with excellent benefits.
#3 Piper — #155
THE JOB: Pipe player / musician
Finally, a job with a soundtrack. 🎶 Piper originated as an occupational surname for someone who played the pipes — a professional musician who might perform at celebrations, ceremonies, dances or other gatherings.
Depending on the time and place, those “pipes” could refer to various wind instruments, including bagpipes. Either way, if the medieval party needed music, Piper was getting the call. A piper's job was equal parts craft and performance, which might explain why the name has such an easy, spirited energy. It surged in the 2000s (thank you, Charmed) and has held on because — let's be honest — it's just a genuinely upbeat and fun name to say.
At #155, she's also the third most popular occupational name for girls on our list. Apparently, Piper still knows how to draw a crowd.
#2 Parker — #106
THE JOB: Park keeper
Our medieval deer guardian is back. 🦌 As we discovered on the boys' list, a Parker was the keeper or guardian of a private park or game preserve — and a medieval “park” was not a playground with swings and a picnic table. These were large enclosed areas belonging to wealthy landowners and nobility, often stocked with deer for hunting. The parker helped oversee the grounds, protect the animals and keep unwanted visitors out.
So while modern Parker sounds sleek, sophisticated and maybe a little preppy, the original Parker was essentially patrolling the woods making sure nobody poached the lord's dinner.
For girls, Parker has climbed all the way to #106, putting it tantalizingly close to the Top 100. But even that isn't remotely close to our #1 name.
Because one occupational girls' name has left the rest of the workforce very, very far behind.
#1 Harper — #16
THE JOB: Harp player
And America's most popular occupational name for girls is... Harper! 🎶
The original Harper was exactly what the name suggests: someone who played the harp, often professionally. And in medieval society, that could be a highly respected occupation. Harpers performed in noble households and royal courts, provided music for celebrations and ceremonies, and in Celtic traditions could occupy an especially honored place as musicians and keepers of cultural tradition.
Fast-forward several centuries and Harper has pulled off one of the most remarkable career changes on our list. Today, almost nobody hears Harper and thinks medieval musician. They think of a stylish, literary, thoroughly modern girls' name — helped, of course, by the enduring association with To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee.
And unlike every other name on our countdown, Harper isn't merely popular. It's the #16 most popular girl's name in America right now. That puts Harper an astonishing 90 places ahead of #2 Parker and makes it one of the most popular girls' names of any kind — occupational or otherwise.
From medieval musician to one of America's favorite girls' names? Now that's music to our ears. 🎵
Just Missed the List: Chandler — #895
We couldn't leave this one in the dark.
THE JOB: Candle maker 🕯️
A Chandler was a person who made or sold candles, an occupation far more important before somebody had the bright idea to invent the light switch. Candles illuminated homes, churches, workshops, inns and streets, making the chandler an essential supplier of everyday life. Depending on the trade, chandlers could work with tallow or the considerably more expensive beeswax used for finer candles.
Today, Chandler is much more likely to make people think of Friends than candle making. But at #895 for girls, it comes surprisingly close to making our Top 10. Could there possibly be a better occupational name to leave us with? We think not.
Chandler may have missed the list — but she still knows how to light up a room. 🕯️
The Girls Are on the Job
Harper. Parker. Piper. Bailey. Sawyer. Centuries ago, these weren't names chosen from baby-name books. They were résumés. They told the world who played the music, who guarded the grounds, who ran the mill, who made the clothes and who kept the whole operation organized.
Today, those occupations may be long gone — or changed beyond recognition — but their names are still very much at work. And perhaps the girls' list proves something else: a name doesn't have to begin as feminine to become beautifully so. Medieval musicians, administrators, attendants, craftspeople and laborers left behind surnames that eventually crossed centuries, occupations and gender lines to find an entirely new life on today's playgrounds.
The jobs changed. The names stayed employed. And frankly, we think that's worth putting on the résumé.
Now it's your turn: Which hardworking girls' name gets YOUR vote — and which original job surprised you the most? 👇