He’s the friendliest ghost you know, but could he also be a great given name?
Thanks to Christy for suggesting Casper as our Baby Name of the Day.
Casper is the Dutch and Scandinavian form of an ancient appellation. By tradition, it is the name of one of the three wise men. It probably comes from a Persian or Chaldean word meaning treasurer – appropriate for a dignitary sent bearing gifts to a future king. The name seems to have evolved to Gaspar by the sixth century – and while there’s debate, it appears that the G spelling probably came first.
It’s a well-traveled name: he’s Gaspar, Gaspare, Gaspard in Spanish, Italian, and French. The G became a K in German and Polish – Kaspar, Kacper. (The c makes a ts sound.) He’s Jasper and Jesper in medieval English, though Casper also surfaces in English, too. The various forms seem to have been very popular throughout Europe into the 1700s.
Casper appeared in the US Top 1000 from 1880 through 1933, but he’s been gone ever since.
In the US, Casper has always been eclipsed by Jasper. He’s never left the Top 1000, and as of 2011 was back to #282. We can find Jaspers throughout history: Jasper Tudor was uncle to Henry VII, and became Duke of Bedford. More recently there’s artist Jasper Johns and author Jasper Fforde. Today, Jasper is also a mineral and gemstone, putting him in the company of Ruby and Pearl.
Other notables by the name include:
- Mayan ruler Rabbit 11 ruled in the fifth century, and is sometimes referred to as Casper – because his name glyph looks like the cartoon ghost.
- You might find a listing for Saint Casper, though he was born in Italy in the late 1700s and would have been known as Gaspare.
- Casper, Wyoming takes its name from Casper Collins, a lieutenant at the original fort who was killed in a skirmish with the local Native American tribe.
- The Badrutt family invented the idea of winter tourism in St. Moritz, Switzerland, transforming how wealthy Europeans spent their winter months forevermore. At least one of the family members answered to Caspar.
- Actor Casper Van Dien, Jr. is wearing a family name – one that he’s passed down to his son.
And then there’s the cartoon.
Back in the 1930s, Casper was created for a children’s book, but was sold to Paramount Studio instead and first appeared on screen in 1945. The name would have been fading even then – appropriate for a ghost. He appeared in comics, shorts and cartoons through the 1960s and 70s. A 1995 feature film revived Casper for another generation.
The animated ghost probably took name out of contention for years. But could he make a comeback? In his favor:
- He’s got great nickname potentials – Cas, Cash, Cap
- Ends with r is a huge category for boys – boosting Jasper
- Claudia Schiffer has daughters Clementine and Cosima and son Caspar
- Jason Lee gave the name to a daughter, Casper Alice
In 2012, could Casper shed his animated past to be seen as a lively option for a son?
I’ve found as both a mother and a teacher that if kids are determined to pick on another kid they’re will always be a way. A name as common and strong as John could be flipped to mean toilet and a name as unique as Seymour can be flipped into “I wanna Seymour of him” instead of the usual “Seymour butts) True story- prom king of the class ahead of me in NY was Seymour.
Not to mention why is George a green light (a furry little trouble making monkey) and Casper- a friendly ghost seen as doomed! I think it’s a great name and is very much on the top of my list. And although I’d love to extend it to Caspian, hubs keeps giving me the “don’t push it I gave approval on Casper” look lol.
Finally, I’m not even sure if I’ve even seen the cartoon! At 28 my brain goes to Casper from the movie Kids rather than Casper the ghost.
My baby boy born May 2012 is called Caspar he is sweet and adorable. We didn’t give a monkeys what everyone else would think of his name and actually everybody loves it! He was christened on 6th January this year which was the day of the epiphany, he’s my little wise man. I also named my new business venture ‘Little Ghost’ after him so no issues at all with the friendly ghost, he loves it when we sing ‘Caspar the friendly boy’ to him x
Great name, Becky and happy (almost) first birthday to Caspar!
So nice to see Becky’s post, and congratulations on her son’s First Birthday. “Caspar” is high on our list for our son due this July/August, with middle name “Louis.” If Oscar can make such a strong comeback notwithstanding “Oscar the Grouch” associations, why can’t Caspar? It’s a lovely name, and particularly appealing because it is not so popular in the U.S., yet seems to cross many cultures and time periods.
I love the name Casper! Ghost or no ghost 🙂
I think Casper is great but I prefer the Caspar spelling. I’ve often dreamt of having three boys named Melchoir, Caspar, and Balthazar (the three wise men).
I love Casper!
I’ll say that he’s almost there. Personally, I prefer Caspian, Caius, and Castiel.
I love it, but for me it has to be with two “a’s”. Caspar!
Casper is one of my favorite ends in -er names for boys. I would use it in a heartbeat. I definitely think Casper is wearable and ready to break out from the friendly ghost persona.
<3
I love the name Casper. Yes, I think of the friendly ghost, but I think it’s generational. It’s a fun, sweet name. It feels a little more Christmas-y to me than Halloween though.
Nope. Sorry. Casper to me is a racial slur, that’s how it was used where I grew up. And probably not helping its comeback, at least in some American cities. I could not send a Casper to middle-school.
Jasper’s nice though.
How is Casper a racial slur? Sorry this is one I’ve never heard before I really like the name but now Im curious how it could be a racial thing.
Like Snowflake? “what the hell are you looking at, Casper?” etc. It’s in pretty wide use. I think it would be very awkward for a white OR black child where I grew up. Derived from the ghost, but a lot more loaded than Felix or whatever.
I don’t know … I take your point that Casper could be used that way, but I wonder if it would be today. Or if it would be used enough to make it a concern … I tend to think that “your kid will be teased if you name him …” is the kind of phrase that can be applied to any name. It reminds me of the Nicolas Cage skit on Saturday Night Live. https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/baby-names/1354910/
Yeah, I don’t believe that you have to stick to Top 50 names because everything weird is bad, but naming a kid a slur that’s in active use seems beyond just “that’s a name no one will know how to spell.” And at least in my hometown, its still in active use.
I’d have to put it in the box with Gay and Fagele and Jemima. Though, like Jemima and Fagele, it’s probably on the more regional end of the scale, depending on local demographics more than just “English speaking.” Jemima’s a non-issue outside the US, Casper might be the same.
I’m from the southeastern US and I can’t remember a single time I’ve heard anyone use Casper as a slur. I could see it being used as a slang term, similar to Ginger, but I don’t think that would dissuade me from using the name.
I think if a kid was named Casper and someone did use it in a racial way i.e. “What are you looking at, Casper?” I think that if it were actually the kids name and he replied, “Yea, so what my name is Casper?” it actually takes the power away from it being a derogatory term.
Huh? Casper, Snowlake and Felix are racial slurs? Never heard such a thing.
I’ve lived in Connecticut, Nebraska, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina and I have never heard Casper used as a racial slur