Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Casper m. Classical Hebrew גִּזְבָּר 'treasurer'.

The traditional name of one of the three Magi. This name was connected with the three Magi as early as the 6th C, and evidence that the Magi were an important source for medieval people named some form of Casper is evidence by the high probability in some parts of Europe, particularly Germany, that a man named Casper would have at least one or more brother named Balthasar or Melchior, the other two traditional names.

Spellings in J- and I- were perhaps influenced by similarity to Old French jaspe 'jasper'.

Austria
Latin
1565 Casparus (nom) ChronSH p. 21
Early New High German
1439 Caspar (nom) ChronSH p. 33, Casper (nom) ibid. p. 34; 1498 Caspar (nom) ibid. p. 10; 1506 Caspar (nom) ibid. p. 12; 1513 Caspar (nom) ibid. p. 12
Belgium
Dutch
1557 Jaspar MPSA p. 71; 1576 Jaspart ibid. p. 80; 1586 Jaspar ibid. p. 84; 1587 Jaspar ibid. p. 85; 1588 Jaspar ibid. p. 85; 1589 Jaspar ibid. p. 86; 1591 Jaspar ibid. p. 86; 1592 Jaspar ibid. p. 87; 1593 Jaspar ibid. p. 87; 1594 Jaspar ibid. p. 88; 1595 Jaspar ibid. p. 88; 1597x1598 Jaspar BoonenGes p. 323, Jaspars (gen) ibid. p. 336
Croatia
Latin
1439x1482 Kaspar (unc) Brgles p. 8
Croatian
1597 Gaspar Susedgrad1597 p. 30
Denmark
Danish
1581 Casper KD-1 no. 362, Jesper ibid. no. 362
England
Latin
1580 Jusparus (nom) AuFr p. 85
Dutch
1572 Jasper AuFr Boddins; 1573 Jaspar ibid. Tienssen; 1576 Jaspar ibid. Boddens; 1585 Jaspar ibid. Fredrix; 1587 Gaspar ibid. Huijsekerke; 1588 Jaspar ibid. Frederix; 1592 Jaspar ibid. Coorens; 1594 Jaspar ibid. p. 89; 1597 Jaspar ibid. Corens
Early Modern English
1531 Jasper SaxhamSf p. 121; 1547 Jesper StAnthonlin p. 6; 1569 Iasper SurMus II; 1572/3 Iasper ibid. p. 167; 1580 Jesper RegBath p. 4; 1582/3 Jasper ibid. p. 5; 1583 Iasper SurMus p. 188; 1583/4 Iasper ibid. p. 28, Iesper ibid. p. 56; 1583 Jasper DEmar-vol2 p. 9; 1584 Iesper SurMus p. 191; 1587 Jesper OrpingtonKe p. 8; 1589 Jesper RegBath p. 8; 1595 Jasper bruton1 p. 122; 1598 Jasper DEmar-vol2 p. 38; 1599 Jasper ibid. p. 40
Middle French
1569 Gaspart WCS p. 5; 1569/70 Jaspart ibid. p. 6; 1570 Gaspart ibid. p. 40; 1573 Jasepart ibid. p. 85; 1574 Jasepar ibid. p. 42, Jaspar ibid. p. 42, garspar ibid. p. 10, gaspar ibid. p. 10; 1575 gaspar ibid. p. 10; 1576 Gaspar ibid. p. 43, Gaspart ibid. p. 43, Jasepart ibid. p. 42; 1577 Jasepart ibid. p. 13, Jaspart ibid. p. 13, gaspard ibid. p. 43, gaspart ibid. p. 43; 1578 Jasepar ibid. p. 44, Jasepard ibid. p. 43, Jasepart ibid. p. 44, Jaspar ibid. p. 43, Jaspart ibid. p. 43; 1580 Gaspart ibid. p. 15, Jaspar ibid. p. 44, Jaspart ibid. p. 15; 1581 Jaspart ibid. p. 88; 1583 Gaspart ibid. p. 46; 1584 Gaspart ibid. p. 18; 1585 Gaspard ibid. p. 46; 1588 Gaspard ibid. p. 48
Walloon
1581/2 Jasper RWC p. 4; 1582/3 Jaspar ibid. p. 563; 1590 Jaspar ibid. p. 13
Estonia
Middle Low German
1439 Kassper BbRT p. 362
1592 Kaß Tiik1977 p. 287, Kesselen ibid. p. 287, Keß ibid. p. 287
Early Modern Swedish
1571 Jesper Hiiumaa p. 24; 1577 Jesper (nom) ibid. p. 24
France
Latin
1378 Gaspardi (gen) hanquetvol1 1275, Jaspardo (dat) ibid. 1940
Middle French
1418 Gaspar DdB1418 p. 199, Jaspar HGParis p. 375; 1423 Jaspar favier 444; 1563 Jaspar RegPCC-1 p. 36; 1564 Jaspar ibid. p. 53; 1565 Gaspar ibid. p. 119; 1566 Jaspar ibid. p. 205; 1568 Jaspar ibid. p. 389
Germany
Latin
1394 Caspar (gen) SMM p. 175, Kaspar (gen) ibid. p. 176; 1425 Casparo (abl) mairhofer DCCXXI
Middle French
1548 Caspar MHCG2 316
Early New High German
1413 Caspar (nom) mairhofer DCXCVI; 1419 Caspar (nom) ibid. DCCXIV; 1421 Casparen (gen) ibid. DCCXVI; 1497 Caspar Nurn1497 154, Casper ibid. 1043, Kasper ibid. 2690; 1554 Gaspar (nom) MHCG2 333; 1555 Caspar (nom) ibid. 335
Italy
Latin
1366 Guasparre (nom) Livi 22; 1367 Caspari (gen) SMM p. 130; 1376 Gaspale (abl) DouGen1 p. 116; 1393 Gasparro (abl) sajanello-2; 1449 Gasparris (gen) VitAs2 X; 1464 Gaspar (nom) CUP-III-I CCXXXI; 1470 Gaspar (nom) RCCaetani6 1192; 1522x1532 Caspar (nom) DSF p. 53, 41
1376 Gaspalini (gen) DouGen1 p. 245, Gaspalino (abl) ibid. p. 246, Gasparini (gen) ibid. p. 236
Italian
1513x1521 Gaspare LeoX p. 22
Latvia
Middle Low German
1582x1594 Casparus Arbuzov1920 p. 47
Lithuania
Polish
1551x1555 Kaspra (gen) Kaunas2006 p. 85
The Netherlands
Dutch
1561 Jasper MagMiddelburg-1560; 1574 Casper NHG-Middelburg p. 40; 1576 Jasper ibid. p. 69; 1579 Kasper MagMiddelburg-1560; 1580 Kasper ibid.; 1586 Iaspar ibid.; 1587 Iasper ibid.; 1588 Jasper ibid.; 1589 Jasper ibid.; 1590 Jasper ibid.; 1591 Jasper ibid.; 1592 Jasper ibid.; 1593 Iasper ibid.; 1594 Iasper ibid.; 1595 Iasper ibid.
Spain
Latin
1487 Gaspar (nom) carbonell-I p. 10; 1488 Gaspar (nom) ibid. p. 16, Gasparis (gen) ibid. p. 17; 1489 Gasparis (gen) ibid. p. 34; 1490 Gaspar (nom) ibid. p. 42, Gasparis (gen) ibid. p. 42; 1491 Gaspar (nom) ibid. p. 54, Gasparis (gen) ibid. p. 64
Catalan
1510 Gaspar valencia1510 3156
Spanish
1567 Gaspar SanzSerrano; 1575 Gaspar Catalogo-5.2 3803; 1576 Gaspar ibid. 3931
Sweden
Early Modern Swedish
1586 Caspar (nom) HGS p. 159; 1587 Casper (nom) ibid. p. 160; 1588 Casper (nom) ibid. p. 160; 1589 Casper (nom) ibid. p. 160
Switzerland
Latin
1436 Gaspardi (gen) MHCG2 210, Gaspardo (dat) ibid. 210, Gaspardum (acc) ibid. 210, Gaspardus (nom) ibid. 210; 1502 Gaspardo (dat) ibid. 275; 1510 Caspardus (nom) ibid. 284
Middle French
1494 Caspar MHCG2 258; 1553 Gaspard ibid. 329
Ukraine
Latin
1469 Caspar (nom) AGZ-18 36
Cite as: G. Grim, R. Le Get, J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Casper". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2023, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2023/1/name/Casper.