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 [ 2 syll. jas-per, ja-sp-er ] The boy name Jasper is pronounced JHAESPer KEY. Jasper's language of origin is Old Persian, and it is used mainly in the Dutch, English, French, and German languages. The name's meaning is 'keeper of the treasure'. Biblical name derived from ghaz meaning 'treasure' ; bar meaning 'to manage'. The name is ultimately of Persian origin; it is probably not associated with the English word 'jasper', which is the name of the gemstone that is of Semitic origin. Jasper is traditionally known in Christian folklore as the name of one of the three wise men or Magi who visited the baby Jesus at Bethlehem, although it is not found in the Bible. The name was first used by English speakers in the 14th century, and it became rather popular by the 17th century. Jasper has 14 variations that are used in both English and foreign languages. Variations of Jasper used in English include Cash, Caspar (used in German as well), Casper (used in Dutch and Scandinavian as well), Cass, Gaspar (used in Hungarian, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish as well), and Gasper. Foreign variations of Jasper include the French Gaspard, the Italian Gaspare, the Italian Gasparo, the Hungarian Gazsi, the Hungarian Gáspár, the Scandinavian Jesper, the Czech and German Kaspar, and the Polish Kasper. Jasper is fairly popular as a baby name for boys. In 1900, 0.060% of baby boys were given the name Jasper. It ranked at #197 then. The baby name has since declined in popularity, and it is of only occasional use in recent years. In 2008, it ranked at #452 with a usage of 0.028%. Among the group of boy names directly linked to Jasper, the English Cash was the most widely used. The name was twice as popular as Jasper in 2008. Baby names that sound like Jasper include the Arabic and Indian Jabbar, the Arabic Jabir, the Arabic and Urdu Jafar, the English Jeffree, the English Jeffrey, the English Jeffrie, the English Jeffry, the English Jefry, the Scandinavian Jesper, the English and German Geoffrey, the Romanian Geofri, the name Gibor, the English Jabari, the Arabic Jabr, the English Jefery, the English Jefferey, the English Jeffery, the French Jeoffroi, the French Geoffroi, and the French Geoffroy. KEY: Pronunciation for Jasper: JH as in "gee (JH.IY)" ; AE as in "at (AE.T)" ; S as in "sea (S.IY)" ; P as in "pee (P.IY)" ; ER as in "hurt (HH.ER.T)"   |
