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

Esper, 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 Esper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Esper in America

Esper is the 21272nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Esper surname appeared 1,232 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Esper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Esper 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 Esper

The surname Esper has its origins in the German language, and it is believed to have emerged in the region of Bavaria during the Middle Ages. The name is likely derived from the Old German word "aspar," which means "aspen tree." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near an aspen grove or worked with aspen wood.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Esper can be found in the Bürgeraufnahmen (citizen registrations) of the city of Regensburg, Bavaria, in the 14th century. These records mention an individual named Hans Esper, who was a merchant and landowner in the area.

In the late 15th century, there are references to a family of scholars and astronomers from the town of Weiden in der Oberpfalz, Bavaria, who bore the surname Esper. One notable member of this family was Johann Friedrich Esper (1732-1781), a renowned naturalist and entomologist who made significant contributions to the study of insects and fossils.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Esper name can be found in various church records and tax registers throughout Bavaria, indicating that the family had established a presence in various towns and villages across the region.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname Esper was Johann Jakob Esper (1737-1809), a German theologian and writer from Nürnberg. He was known for his works on religious and philosophical topics, including his book "Die Zuverlässigkeit der Evangelischen Geschichte" (The Reliability of the Gospel History).

Another notable individual with the Esper surname was Johann Friedrich Esper (1792-1857), a German painter and engraver from Nürnberg. He was renowned for his landscapes and architectural paintings, and his works can be found in various museums and galleries across Europe.

While the surname Esper may have originated in Bavaria, it has since spread to other parts of Germany and beyond, with individuals bearing this name found in various regions and countries around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Esper

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

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 Esper 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 Esper 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 Esper was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Esper, 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!