2000
#4,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,601
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.82
Uncommon Last name
Gaspar
Derived from the Persian word for "treasurer," an occupational surname for a person who managed finances.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,051 Americans carry the last name Gaspar. That puts it at #3,078 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,263 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gaspar surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gaspar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,263
Census rank
#3,078
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,381 bearers of the surname Gaspar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3078th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaspar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 65.8%. The next largest groups are White (24.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gaspar
The surname Gaspar originates from Spain and Portugal, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is derived from the ancient Persian name "Gaspar" or "Caspar," one of the three wise men or Magi who visited the infant Jesus, according to biblical accounts. The name is believed to have been introduced to the Iberian Peninsula during the time of the Moors' influence in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gaspar can be found in the Libro de repartimiento de Sevilla, a 13th-century document detailing the distribution of land and property in Seville after its reconquest by the Christians in 1248. This document mentions several individuals bearing the surname Gaspar, suggesting its establishment in the region during that period.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the records of the Castilian nobility, with notable figures such as Pedro Gaspar, a knight who fought alongside King Alfonso XI in the Battle of Salado in 1340 against the Marinid dynasty of Morocco.
During the Age of Discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries, several explorers and navigators with the surname Gaspar played significant roles in the expansion of the Portuguese and Spanish empires. Notable among them was Gaspar Corte-Real (c. 1450-1501), a Portuguese explorer who led expeditions to the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador in search of the Northwest Passage.
Another prominent figure was Gaspar de Portolá (1723-1786), a Spanish military officer and explorer who founded the cities of San Diego and Monterey in present-day California while leading expeditions to establish Spanish settlements along the Pacific coast.
In the realm of arts and literature, the surname Gaspar has been associated with influential figures such as Gaspar Núñez de Arce (1834-1903), a Spanish poet and playwright who served as the director of the Royal Spanish Academy.
Other notable individuals bearing the surname Gaspar include Gaspar de Guzmán, Count-Duke of Olivares (1587-1645), a prominent Spanish statesman and chief minister of King Philip IV, and Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos (1744-1811), a Spanish Enlightenment writer, philosopher, and statesman.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaspar
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaspar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 65.8%. The next largest groups are White (24.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gaspar bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Gaspar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino65.8% · 7,490
- White24.7% · 2,810
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.6% · 749
- Two or more races1.9% · 219
- Black or African American0.8% · 91
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gaspar
Gaspar appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,251
+3,650 bearers (+48.0%)
Per 100,000 3.81
Rank movement Up 1,117 places
2020
#3,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,381
+130 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 3.81
Rank movement Up 132 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,327 | 7,601 | 2.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,210 | 11,251 | 3.81 | +3,650 bearers (+48.0%) | Up 1,117 places |
| 2020 | #3,078 | 11,381 | 3.81 | +130 bearers (+1.2%) | Up 132 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Gaspar surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,210 | #3,078 | 4.1% |
| Count | 11,251 | 11,381 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.81 | 3.81 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gaspar bearers went from 11,251 to 11,381 (+1.2% change). The surname moved up 132 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,210 to #3,078.
FAQ
Gaspar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gaspar?
Name Census estimates that about 13,051 living Americans carry the surname Gaspar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,263 residents.
How common is Gaspar?
Gaspar ranks #3,078 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,381 people with the surname Gaspar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,051), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Gaspar.
Has Gaspar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gaspar went from 11,251 recorded bearers to 11,381. That is an increase of 130 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,210 to #3,078.
What does the Census say about the background of Gaspar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaspar, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 65.8%. The next largest groups are White (24.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gaspar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.8% (7,490 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gaspar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (65.8%), White (24.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Gaspar (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Gaspar mean?
Derived from the Persian word for "treasurer," an occupational surname for a person who managed finances. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Gaspar (3.81 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Gaspar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.