Find out how popular the last name Casper is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Casper.

Casper, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Casper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Casper in America

Casper is the 2905th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Casper surname appeared 12,351 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Casper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Casper to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Casper

The surname Casper originates from the Netherlands, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch given name Casper, which is itself a variant of the ancient Persian name Caspar or Gaspar. This name can be traced back to the Biblical Magi, also known as the Three Wise Men, who visited the newborn Jesus Christ bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

In the Netherlands, the name Casper was initially used as a given name, with the surname form emerging as a patronymic (derived from the father's name) during the late medieval period. Early records show variations in spelling, such as Caspers, Caspersen, and Caspersz.

One of the earliest documented instances of the surname Casper can be found in the Dordrecht archives, where a certain Claes Casper is mentioned in a record from 1582. Another early bearer of the name was Dirck Casper, a merchant from Amsterdam who is recorded as having traded with the Dutch East Indies in the late 16th century.

As the Dutch Empire expanded its colonial reach, the name Casper spread to other parts of the world. In the 17th century, a Pieter Casper is recorded as one of the early settlers in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, which later became New York.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Casper. One of the most famous was Johann Caspar Lavater (1741-1801), a Swiss poet, philosopher, and prominent physiognomist whose writings on the interpretation of facial features were highly influential in his time.

Another notable Casper was Friedrich Caspar (1870-1939), a German historian and palaeographer who made significant contributions to the study of ancient manuscripts and codices. His work on the Codex Theodosianus, a collection of Roman imperial decrees from the 5th century, is particularly noteworthy.

In the realm of art, the Dutch painter Jacob Casper (1619-1675) was a prominent figure in the Golden Age of Dutch painting. His works, which often depicted still lifes and genre scenes, can be found in major museums across Europe.

More recently, the American writer and illustrator Gary Casper (1945-2021) gained recognition for his children's books, including the popular "Gossie" series featuring a gosling character. His whimsical and vibrant illustrations delighted young readers worldwide.

Finally, it is worth mentioning Theodore Casper (1913-2000), an American biochemist and medical researcher who made significant contributions to the understanding of human metabolism and the treatment of thyroid disorders.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Casper

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Casper.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Casper was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Casper has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Casper was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Casper, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!