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The male name Jasper is only coincidentally the same as a precious stone. Jasper (the name) and Jasper (the stone) have two different origins. The French equivalent of the male name is Gaspard, Casper and Kaspar are variants of the same name. The French word for the stone is Jaspe — the English word is taken from he French, which ultimately has a Semitic origin. The male name is also from the Middle East, but may not be Semitic - it's originally a title that apparently means "Treasurer", It was certainly used in the Persian Empire, but may be Chaldean or even Sumerian in origin.