2000
#3,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,005
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.71
Uncommon Last name
Kasper
A nickname-derived surname for someone named Casper, meaning "treasurer" or referring to the Biblical Magi Caspar.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,937 Americans carry the last name Kasper. That puts it at #3,631 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,339 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kasper 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 Kasper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,339
Census rank
#3,631
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,538 bearers of the surname Kasper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3631st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kasper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 One of the earliest recorded instances was in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 11th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kasper
Among Census respondents with the surname Kasper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kasper 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 Kasper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 8,758
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 351
- Two or more races2.9% · 274
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 88
- Black or African American0.4% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kasper
Kasper 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
#3,545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,064
+59 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 3.41
Rank movement Down 258 places
2020
#3,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,538
-526 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 3.19
Rank movement Down 86 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,287 | 10,005 | 3.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,545 | 10,064 | 3.41 | +59 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 258 places |
| 2020 | #3,631 | 9,538 | 3.19 | -526 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 86 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 Kasper 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 | #3,545 | #3,631 | -2.4% |
| Count | 10,064 | 9,538 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.41 | 3.19 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kasper bearers went from 10,064 to 9,538 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 86 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,545 to #3,631.
FAQ
Kasper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kasper?
Name Census estimates that about 10,937 living Americans carry the surname Kasper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,339 residents.
How common is Kasper?
Kasper ranks #3,631 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.19 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 9,538 people with the surname Kasper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,937), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.19 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 Kasper.
Has Kasper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kasper went from 10,064 recorded bearers to 9,538. That is a decrease of 526 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,545 to #3,631.
What does the Census say about the background of Kasper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kasper, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Kasper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (8,758 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kasper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Kasper (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 Kasper mean?
A nickname-derived surname for someone named Casper, meaning "treasurer" or referring to the Biblical Magi Caspar. 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 Kasper (3.19 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 Kasper?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.