Casper (name)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Casper |
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| Gender | Male |
| Meaning | "Master of the Treasure" |
| Origin | Persian |
| Wikipedia articles | All pages beginning with Casper |
The name Casper along with Kasper is a modification of Gaspar which in turn is derived from an ancient Chaldean word,"Gizbar", which according to Strong's Concordance means "Treasurer". The word "Gizbar" appears in the Hebrew version of the Old Testament Book of Ezra (1:8). In fact, the modern Hebrew word for "Treasurer" is still "Gizbar". By the first century B.C. the Septuagent gave a Greek translation of "Gizbar" in Ezra 1:8 as "Gasbarinou". There are numerous modern variations such as Caspari (Italian), Kaspar (German), Casper (English), Kacper (Polish), Kasparov (Russian), etc. By the 6th. century, the name Gaspar had been recorded (e.g. in the Basilica of St. Appollinarius in Ravenna, Italy) as one of the traditional names assigned by folklore to the anonymous Magi mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew account of the Nativity of Jesus. As a surname, Gaspar survives today in Spanish, Portuguese and French, although the latter adds a silent "d". It also survives in the Armenian name, Gasparian. The name Jasper sounds similar to the above variations, but has a totally different origin. In British and American English the initial "a" in Gaspar, Kaspar, Caspar, etc. is pronounced as in the word "hat", whereas in continental Europe, it is pronounced as in the word "father".
Records indicate by the late 1700's a number of immigrants to America were changing the "a" to "o" in the first part of their names and "-ar" to "-er" in the last part. Examples include:
- Gaspar
- Gosper
- Kaspar
- Kosper
- Casper
- Cosper
Some people consider the name Casper to be a name of kingship.
