Jasper m
English: the usual English form of the name assigned in Christian folklore to one of the three Magi or ‘wise men’, who brought gifts to the infant Christ at his birth (Matthew 2: 1). The name does not appear in the Bible, and is first found in medieval tradition. It seems to be ultimately of Persian origin, from a word meaning ‘treasurer’. There is probably no connection with the English vocabulary word jasper denoting a gemstone, which is of Semitic origin. The names assigned by the same folklore tradition to the other Magi, BALTHAZAR and Melchior (see MELCHIORRE (SEE Melchiorre)), have also been used as given names in Europe, but only very rarely in the English-speaking world.
First names dictionary. 2012.