2000
#3,576
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.38
Uncommon Last name
Jasper
A surname derived from the precious gemstone jasper, referring to a jewel worker or trader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,566 Americans carry the last name Jasper. That puts it at #3,752 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,439 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jasper 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 Jasper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,439
Census rank
#3,752
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,214 bearers of the surname Jasper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3752nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jasper, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jasper
The surname Jasper originated in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French name "Jasper", which itself comes from the Persian name "Caspar" or "Gaspar", one of the three wise men or kings who visited the newborn Jesus according to the Bible. The name is thought to have originated from the Persian word "Ganzabara", meaning "treasurer".
The Jasper surname is believed to have first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this record, the name was spelled as "Iasper" and referred to a landowner or tenant in the county of Norfolk.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Jasper was Sir William Jasper, who lived in the 13th century and held lands in the county of Gloucestershire. Another notable early bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Jasper, a knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the Jasper surname was associated with the town of Jasper, located in the county of Staffordshire. This place name may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in some regions.
During the 17th century, a prominent member of the Jasper family was John Jasper (1616-1672), an English Puritan minister who served as the Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He was known for his controversial theological writings and his support for the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.
Another notable figure was William Jasper (1750-1779), an American Revolutionary War hero who gained fame for his daring actions during the Siege of Savannah. He was born in South Carolina and is remembered for his bravery in retrieving the fallen flag of his regiment during the battle, an act that has been immortalized in numerous paintings and sculptures.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Jasper was Julia Jasper (1832-1901), an English author and poet known for her works on nature and rural life. She was born in Staffordshire and published several collections of poems, including "The Random Violets" and "The Poets' Birds".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jasper
Among Census respondents with the surname Jasper, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Jasper 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 Jasper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.8% · 5,880
- Black or African American26.7% · 2,457
- Two or more races4.3% · 400
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 330
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 73
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jasper
Jasper 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
#3,687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,632
+507 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 3.27
Rank movement Down 111 places
2020
#3,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,214
-418 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,576 | 9,125 | 3.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,687 | 9,632 | 3.27 | +507 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 111 places |
| 2020 | #3,752 | 9,214 | 3.08 | -418 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 65 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 Jasper 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 | #3,687 | #3,752 | -1.8% |
| Count | 9,632 | 9,214 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.27 | 3.08 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jasper bearers went from 9,632 to 9,214 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,687 to #3,752.
FAQ
Jasper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jasper?
Name Census estimates that about 10,566 living Americans carry the surname Jasper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,439 residents.
How common is Jasper?
Jasper ranks #3,752 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,214 people with the surname Jasper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,566), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Jasper.
Has Jasper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jasper went from 9,632 recorded bearers to 9,214. That is a decrease of 418 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,687 to #3,752.
What does the Census say about the background of Jasper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jasper, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.8%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Jasper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.8% (5,880 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jasper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.8%), Black (26.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Jasper (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 Jasper mean?
A surname derived from the precious gemstone jasper, referring to a jewel worker or trader. 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 Jasper (3.08 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 people have the last name Jasper?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Jasper, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.