The name Harpa was the winning name out of 4,156 proposals entered by 1,200 citizens. The demand was that the name should be in Icelandic but easily articulated in most languages. The name Harpa has more than one meaning. It is an old Icelandic word that refers to a time of year and is in fact a month in the old Nordic calendar. The first day of that month is celebrated as the first day of summer and marks the beginning of a brighter time where nature comes to live and the colours of the environment sharpen.