2000
#6,653
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,685
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.74
Rare Last name
Gasper
A surname derived from the Middle English word "gaspere," meaning a person who boasted or talked idly.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,338 Americans carry the last name Gasper. That puts it at #6,958 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,210 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gasper 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 Gasper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,210
Census rank
#6,958
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,655 bearers of the surname Gasper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6958th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gasper, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Black (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gasper
Among Census respondents with the surname Gasper, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Black (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gasper 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 Gasper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 3,703
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 350
- Black or African American5.8% · 271
- Two or more races3.2% · 148
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 88
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gasper
Gasper 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
#6,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,898
+213 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 216 places
2020
#6,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,655
-243 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,653 | 4,685 | 1.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,869 | 4,898 | 1.66 | +213 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 216 places |
| 2020 | #6,958 | 4,655 | 1.56 | -243 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 89 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 Gasper 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 | #6,869 | #6,958 | -1.3% |
| Count | 4,898 | 4,655 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.66 | 1.56 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gasper bearers went from 4,898 to 4,655 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,869 to #6,958.
FAQ
Gasper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gasper?
Name Census estimates that about 5,338 living Americans carry the surname Gasper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,210 residents.
How common is Gasper?
Gasper ranks #6,958 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,655 people with the surname Gasper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,338), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gasper.
Has Gasper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gasper went from 4,898 recorded bearers to 4,655. That is a decrease of 243 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,869 to #6,958.
What does the Census say about the background of Gasper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gasper, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Black (5.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gasper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (3,703 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gasper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.5%), Hispanic (7.5%), Black (5.8%). 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 Gasper (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 Gasper mean?
A surname derived from the Middle English word "gaspere," meaning a person who boasted or talked idly. 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 Gasper (1.56 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 Gasper?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.