Published on
Updated
Reading 2 min.
Marie Lanen
Head of parenting sections (baby, pregnancy, family), psychology and beauty
Given to nearly one in 280 boys today, this masculine first name of Persian origin means “guardian of the treasure”. Doctissimo tells you everything about this first name carried by 26,000 people in France.
A popular first name in France, and more particularly in Parisian families, Gaspard rises to ninth place in the ranking of the most popular male first names in the capital in 2022. Doctissimo reveals the history of this first name.
A Hebrew name of Persian origin
If Gaspard is very popular in Paris, the origin of this first name comes from a distant land. Indeed, Gaspard refers to ghizbara Hebrew name of Persian origin meaning “keeper of the treasure”.
To learn more about this name, you have to go back in time. The Gospel according to Saint Matthew tells that wise men from the East were guided by a star to Bethlehem to honor the newborn Jesus. In the 6th century, the Church named these wise men Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, but it was in the 12th century that their dual recognition, liturgical and iconographic, launched the career of these first names. In 12th century paintings, Caspar appears as a beardless young man with a fair complexion, kneeling to give gold to Jesus. In the Middle Ages, at the beginning of the 19th century, Caspar was a recurring choice in families. The first name became rarer until it completely disappeared from the radar. In 1955, no French person had this first name! It was reborn in the 1980s but remains rare, and it is in Paris that it is most popular. This is how it found itself in the top 10 most popular first names in the capital in 2018. The national ranking quickly demonstrated its popularity (it rose to the top 50). Gaspard is also a very popular male first name in French-speaking Belgium and Switzerland.
To note : Saint Gaspar del Bufalo, an Italian evangelist in the 18th century, is celebrated on December 28. We therefore celebrate the Gapards on this date but also on January 6.
A first name given to almost one in 280 boys in France
On the statistics side of the name, the authors of the book L’Officiel des Prénoms (First Editions) specify that Gaspard is the 75th most given male name in France since the year 2000. It is given to nearly one boy in 280 today. Future parents could also be seduced by one of its variants: Caspar, Casper, Gaspar, Jasper. Or by its characterology. Indeed, we attribute optimism, communication, creativity, pragmatism and achievement to little Gaspards.
As for the feminine version of the first name, Gasparine, it has not been given since 1927. Attention lovers of rare gems!
Slideshow: Top 20 Rare and Chic Boys’ First Names