Jasper is a given name. The name means "spotted or speckled stone" and is derived from Greek iaspis, (feminine noun) It is a variation of the Persian Kaspar. According to church tradition Casper (from the Persian "Gaspar" meaning 'treasurer or treasure bringer' ) is the name of one of the "Three Kings", who presented Christ gifts. Casper gave frankincense. The name Gaspar or Caspar, along with the names of the other two legendary magi, appeared for the first time in two medieval Latin texts and dates from the 9th century AD. The spell containing the name of Jaspar is a French and English transcription of the Latin word Caspar. Its Biblical reference led to its adoption as an English name in the 17th Century. There are numerous modern variations such as Γάσπαρ or Κάσπαρ (Greek), Gaspare (Italian), Kaspar (German), Jasper or Casper (English), Jesper (Scandinavian languages), Kacper (Polish), Gáspár (Hungarian) etc.
The mineral jasper is derived from this name.
Famous people with the name Jasper or Jesper include:
- Art
- Jasper Johns, US artist
- Jasper Francis Cropsey, 19th century US artist
- Business
- Jasper (Jack) Daniel US distiller and the founder of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey distillery.
- Design and fashion
- Jasper Conran, British fashion designer
- Jasper Morrison, British product and furniture designer
- Entertainment
- Jasper Carrott, British comedian
- Jesper Christensen, Danish actor
- Jasper Duncombe, 7th Baron Feversham, adult film director
- Jasper Harris, British child actor
- Jasper Maskelyne, British stage magician
- Jasper Pääkkönen, Finnish actor
- Jasper Redd, US comedian
- Finance
- Jasper Grosvenor, US financier
- Literature
- Jasper Fforde, British novelist
- Jasper Griffin, British literary academic
- Jesper Harding, US publisher
- Jasper Ridley, British historical biographer
- Music
- Jesper Kyd, Danish video game and film score composer
- Jesper Strömblad, Swedish musician
- Jezper Söderlund, also known as Airbase, a Swedish musician specialising in electronic music
- Politics
- Jasper Ewing Brady, 18th century US politician
- Jesper Mattson Cruus af Edeby, Swedish soldier and politician
- Sir Jasper More, British politician
- Jasper Wolfe, Irish politician
- Religion and theology
- Jasper Heywood, 16th century British theologian
- Jasper Mayne, 17th century English clergyman
- Jesper Swedberg, Swedish bishop, father of Emanuel Swedenborg
- Jasper Wilson, US Baptist preacher
- Science
- Jasper Rine, US biologist
- Sport
- Jesper Blomqvist, Swedish football (soccer) player
- Jesper Christiansen, Danish football (soccer) goalkeeper
- Jesper Garnell, Danish boxer
- Jesper Grønkjær, Danish football (soccer) player
- Jasper Harvey, US football player
- Jesper Jansson, Swedish football (soccer) player
- Jesper Olsen, Danish football (soccer) player
- Jesper Parnevik, Swedish golfer
- Jasper Vinall, cricketer
- Other
- Jasper O'Farrell, US surveyor
- Jasper Tudor, 1st Duke of Bedford, half-brother of King Henry VI
- Fictional characters
- Jasper Beardley, a character from the cartoon show, The Simpsons
- Jasper, another name for Tom from MGM's Tom and Jerry cartoons
- Jasper Jowls, a Chuck E. Cheese's character
- Jasper, a white dog from Family Guy
- Jasper, one of Cruella de Vil's henchmen in Disney's 101 Dalmatians
- Jasper Hale, of the Cullen family in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series
- Jasper, young Ged's peer & antagonist at the wizardry school on the Island of Roke in Ursula LeGuin's novel A Wizard of Earthsea
- Jasper Morello, the protagonist of the short film The Mysterious Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello