Caspen
A Dutch diminutive form of the masculine name Caspar, derived from the Persian name Gaspar.
Name Census estimates that about 113 living Americans carry the first name Caspen. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Caspen today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caspen births was 2018 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Caspen. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
113
~ 1 in 3,033,224 Americans
Peak year
2018
18 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,934
Tracked since 2017
Popularity
Caspen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Caspen from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 73 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Caspen by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Caspen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Caspen
The name Caspen is an intriguing and enigmatic one, shrouded in mystery and with its origins obscured by the mists of time. It is believed to originate from the ancient Germanic languages, possibly derived from the Old Norse word "kasp," meaning "curly-haired." Alternatively, some scholars trace its roots to the Proto-Germanic "kaspaz," which translates to "chest" or "breast."
The earliest recorded instance of the name Caspen can be found in the Codex Regius, an ancient Icelandic manuscript dating back to the 13th century. This text, which preserves many Old Norse poems and sagas, mentions a character named Caspen, though details about this individual are scant.
Throughout history, the name Caspen has been associated with various notable figures. One of the earliest was Caspen the Scribe, a 9th-century monk from the monastery of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland. He is renowned for his beautifully illuminated manuscripts, which are now considered masterpieces of medieval calligraphy and art.
In the 12th century, Caspen of Cologne, a German theologian and philosopher, gained prominence for his groundbreaking work on metaphysics and the nature of reality. His treatise, "De Rerum Natura," was widely studied and debated in academic circles throughout Europe.
During the Renaissance period, Caspen Holbein, a Swiss-born artist, achieved fame for his exceptional portrait paintings and woodcuts. Born in 1497, he was a court painter for several prominent figures, including King Henry VIII of England, and is considered one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century.
In the realm of literature, Caspen Hauser, a German youth who lived in the early 19th century, gained notoriety for his mysterious upbringing and subsequent exploits. His story captured the imagination of writers and philosophers alike, with many speculating about his origins and the circumstances surrounding his isolation from society.
Another noteworthy figure bearing the name Caspen was Caspen David Friedrich, a renowned German Romantic landscape painter born in 1774. His evocative and atmospheric paintings, such as "Wanderer above the Sea of Fog," have become iconic representations of the Romantic movement in art.
While the name Caspen may not be as widely known or popular as some others, its rich history and fascinating origins make it a captivating and intriguing moniker that has left an indelible mark across various cultures and eras.
People
Caspen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Caspen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Caspen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Caspen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 113 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caspen going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,033,224 US residents.
Is Caspen a common name?
We classify Caspen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 114 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Caspen most popular?
The single biggest year for Caspen was 2018, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caspen is about 5 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Caspen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Caspen a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Caspen in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Caspen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Caspen in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Caspen can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Caspen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.