2000
#2,667
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,458
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.62
Uncommon Last name
Casper
An occupational surname referring to a person who makes or sells cheese, derived from the Latin word "caseus."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,653 Americans carry the last name Casper. That puts it at #2,956 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,105 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Casper 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 Casper with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,105
Census rank
#2,956
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,906 bearers of the surname Casper in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2956th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Casper, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Casper
The surname Casper originates from the Netherlands, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is derived from the Dutch given name Casper, which is itself a variant of the ancient Persian name Caspar or Gaspar. This name can be traced back to the Biblical Magi, also known as the Three Wise Men, who visited the newborn Jesus Christ bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
In the Netherlands, the name Casper was initially used as a given name, with the surname form emerging as a patronymic (derived from the father's name) during the late medieval period. Early records show variations in spelling, such as Caspers, Caspersen, and Caspersz.
One of the earliest documented instances of the surname Casper can be found in the Dordrecht archives, where a certain Claes Casper is mentioned in a record from 1582. Another early bearer of the name was Dirck Casper, a merchant from Amsterdam who is recorded as having traded with the Dutch East Indies in the late 16th century.
As the Dutch Empire expanded its colonial reach, the name Casper spread to other parts of the world. In the 17th century, a Pieter Casper is recorded as one of the early settlers in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, which later became New York.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Casper. One of the most famous was Johann Caspar Lavater (1741-1801), a Swiss poet, philosopher, and prominent physiognomist whose writings on the interpretation of facial features were highly influential in his time.
Another notable Casper was Friedrich Caspar (1870-1939), a German historian and palaeographer who made significant contributions to the study of ancient manuscripts and codices. His work on the Codex Theodosianus, a collection of Roman imperial decrees from the 5th century, is particularly noteworthy.
In the realm of art, the Dutch painter Jacob Casper (1619-1675) was a prominent figure in the Golden Age of Dutch painting. His works, which often depicted still lifes and genre scenes, can be found in major museums across Europe.
More recently, the American writer and illustrator Gary Casper (1945-2021) gained recognition for his children's books, including the popular "Gossie" series featuring a gosling character. His whimsical and vibrant illustrations delighted young readers worldwide.
Finally, it is worth mentioning Theodore Casper (1913-2000), an American biochemist and medical researcher who made significant contributions to the understanding of human metabolism and the treatment of thyroid disorders.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Casper
Among Census respondents with the surname Casper, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Casper 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 Casper surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 10,746
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 390
- Two or more races3.1% · 364
- Black or African American2.3% · 276
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Casper
Casper 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
#2,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,351
-107 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 4.19
Rank movement Down 238 places
2020
#2,956
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,906
-445 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.98
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,667 | 12,458 | 4.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,905 | 12,351 | 4.19 | -107 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 238 places |
| 2020 | #2,956 | 11,906 | 3.98 | -445 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 51 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 Casper 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 | #2,905 | #2,956 | -1.8% |
| Count | 12,351 | 11,906 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.19 | 3.98 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Casper bearers went from 12,351 to 11,906 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,905 to #2,956.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Casper
FAQ
Casper surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Casper?
Name Census estimates that about 13,653 living Americans carry the surname Casper. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,105 residents.
How common is Casper?
Casper ranks #2,956 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,906 people with the surname Casper. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,653), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Casper.
Has Casper become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Casper went from 12,351 recorded bearers to 11,906. That is a decrease of 445 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,905 to #2,956.
What does the Census say about the background of Casper?
Among Census respondents with the surname Casper, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Casper in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (10,746 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Casper appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Casper (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 Casper mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who makes or sells cheese, derived from the Latin word "caseus." 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 Casper (3.98 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 Casper?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.