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

Gasper, 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 Gasper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gasper in America

Gasper is the 6869th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gasper surname appeared 4,898 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Gasper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gasper 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 Gasper

The surname Gasper has its origins in the German language, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Germanic personal name "Caspar" or "Gaspar", which is believed to have been a variant of the Persian name "Casperius". This name can be traced back to the biblical story of the Three Wise Men, where one of them was referred to as Caspar or Gaspar.

The name Gasper first appeared in various regions of Germany, particularly in areas such as Bavaria and Saxony. It is thought to have been initially adopted as a surname by individuals who were either named Caspar or Gaspar themselves, or who were descendants of someone with that given name.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Gasper can be found in the records of the city of Nürnberg, where a certain Johann Gasper was listed as a resident in the year 1532. Another early reference comes from the town of Aschaffenburg, where a man named Hans Gasper was recorded as a citizen in 1564.

In the 17th century, the surname Gasper began to spread beyond Germany, as individuals bearing this name migrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. Notable individuals with the surname Gasper include Johann Gasper (1592-1658), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of the Elector of Brandenburg.

Another notable figure was Jacob Gasper (1671-1738), a German-born painter and engraver who spent much of his career working in Italy. In the 18th century, there was Johann Baptist Gasper (1727-1779), a German sculptor and woodcarver who was renowned for his intricate altarpieces and church decorations.

Moving into the 19th century, one can find references to individuals such as Friedrich Gasper (1808-1871), a German mathematician and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of logic. Additionally, there was August Gasper (1825-1897), a German-born artist and painter who immigrated to the United States and became known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the American West.

Throughout its history, the surname Gasper has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as the village of Gaspersleben in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, and the town of Gasperdorf in Lower Austria. These place names likely derive from individuals bearing the Gasper surname who were among the earliest settlers or landowners in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gasper

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

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

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

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