Kasper
A surname from the given name Kasper, the common continental form of Caspar.
The #3,545 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 30,678 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kasper is generally a surname taken from the personal name Kasper, a continental form of Caspar. Caspar is traditionally linked to the name of one of the Magi and is often explained as going back to an older Persian name meaning something like 'treasurer,' though the deeper history is uncertain. In surname use, it usually means 'son or descendant of someone named Kasper.'
History
The name spread widely across German-speaking and neighboring regions as a hereditary surname from the medieval personal name Kasper/Caspar. The excerpts also show short-form use of Kasper in northern Dutch and Frisian naming traditions, which helps explain why the surname appears in several North European areas. In modern records it is found especially in Germany and the United States, where immigration helped carry it overseas.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Kasper is closely tied to the name of the traditional Magus Gaspar/Caspar, which is why it has traveled widely across European languages.
From the historical record
“sens, Kasjens Kasper, m. Katje,4f. dimin. of Kate, Catherina KSs, m., contraction of Corne- lius”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (1st ed.)