Gasper
A surname usually traced to the given name Gaspard/Gaspar, ultimately associated with one of the traditional Three Kings.
The #6,869 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 63,035 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Gasper is generally understood as a surname formed from the personal name Gaspar or Gaspard. That given name is the familiar European form of one of the traditional names of the Magi, and it spread widely in medieval Christian naming. In English usage, Gasper is best seen as a spelling variant or anglicized form of that baptismal name.
History
The name appears in English records as a family name alongside forms like Jasper, which were also linked to the same biblical-legendary source. Historical surname dictionaries treat Gasper as a relatively straightforward surname-from-given-name formation rather than as an occupational or place name. It has remained comparatively uncommon in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books explicitly note Gasper as a variant that “has also given” other related forms such as Jasper.
From the historical record
“the name Berald (p. 34), and Jasper is also baptismal, Fr. Gaspard,1 the name of one of the three Wise Men from the East ; it has also given Gasper. Finally, Rainbow, usually an imitative spelling of OF. Reim- baud, corresponding to AS. Regenbeald, may also have been a nickname for a man who loved bright colours…”
— Surnames