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

Kasper, 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 Kasper surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kasper in America

Kasper is the 3545th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kasper surname appeared 10,064 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Kasper.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kasper 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 Kasper

The surname Kasper originated in Germany and is derived from the Persian name Casper, meaning "treasurer" or "keeper of treasure". It is believed to have been introduced to Europe through the biblical story of the Three Wise Men, one of whom was named Caspar or Casper.

The name Kasper first appeared in German records during the Middle Ages, with various spellings such as Casper, Caspere, and Kaspar. One of the earliest recorded instances was in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 11th century.

In the Domesday Book, a famous manuscript recording landowners in England in 1086, there is no mention of the surname Kasper, suggesting it was not yet established in Britain at that time.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Kasper was Johann Kasper (c. 1370-1438), a German theologian and clergyman who served as the Bishop of Chiemsee in Bavaria.

Another notable figure was Johann Kasper Lavater (1741-1801), a Swiss poet, philosopher, and physiognomist who wrote extensively on the relationship between physical appearance and character traits.

In the 19th century, Johann Kasper Mertz (1806-1856) was a German composer and virtuoso guitarist, renowned for his works in the romantic style.

The name Kasper has also been associated with several place names, such as Kasperske Hory, a town in the Czech Republic, and Kasper, a village in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

During the 20th century, one prominent individual with the surname Kasper was Walter Kasper (born 1933), a German cardinal and theologian who served as the President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity from 1999 to 2010.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kasper

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

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

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

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