Explore the Family Name Kasper

The meaning of Kasper

German, Danish, and Polish; Slovak (mainly Kašper); Czech and Slovenian (also Kašper): from the personal names Kasper (German, Danish, and Polish) and Kašper (Slovak, Czech, and Slovenian variant of Gašpar, Kašpar, and Gašper, respectively), equivalents of Casper. In North America, this surname is also a shortened and altered form of especially Polish patronymics and other derivatives, e.g. Kasprzak. See also Kaspar, Gaspar, and Gasper.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Kasper in the United States?

Based on the data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Kasper experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. The surname ranked as the 3,287th most popular in 2000, but fell to the 3,545th position by 2010, marking a decrease of 7.85%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals with the Kasper surname grew modestly from 10,005 to 10,064, an increase of 0.59%. However, when adjusted for population size, the proportion of people named Kasper per 100,000 individuals decreased by 8.09%.

20002010Change
Rank#3,287#3,545-7.85%
Count10,00510,0640.59%
Proportion per 100k3.713.41-8.09%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kasper

In regard to ethnic identity, there have been some noticeable shifts among those carrying the Kasper surname between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. The majority of Kaspers identified as White, although a marginal decrease was observed from 96.21% to 94.76%. The Hispanic representation saw the most substantial growth, climbing from 1.58% to 2.47%, a 56.33% increase. Other groups also saw increases, with Asian/Pacific Islanders rising from 0.53% to 0.81%, Black representation growing from 0.36% to 0.49%, and American Indian and Alaskan Native representation slightly increasing from 0.27% to 0.30%. Those identifying with two or more races also rose from 1.05% to 1.16%.

20002010Change
White96.21%94.76%-1.51%
Hispanic1.58%2.47%56.33%
Two or More Races1.05%1.16%10.48%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.53%0.81%52.83%
Black0.36%0.49%36.11%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.27%0.3%11.11%

Kasper ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Kasper is British & Irish, which comprises 32.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.9%) and Eastern European (22.2%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish32.2%
French & German24.9%
Eastern European22.2%
Other20.6%
Kasper

Possible origins of the surname Kasper

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Kasper have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Merseyside, United Kingdom67.90%
Greater London, United Kingdom67.90%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom67.50%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom67.50%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom65.90%

What Kasper haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Kasper is R-CTS3402, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS3402 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-M417 and R-L48, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Kaminski, Urban, Krause, Kowalski, Novak, Nowak, Wisniewski, Schultz, Krueger, Zielinski.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Kasper surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

kasperPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Kasper have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Kasper

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Kasper" Surname 48.6%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Kasper

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Kasper" Surname 27.7%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Kasper

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Kasper" Surname 31.5%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Kasper

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Kasper" Surname 21.5%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Kasper?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Kasper are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%