WHAT'S IN A NAME?
The Jasperson name has many different spellings, which is common with most names and can lead to a little confusion when conducting research. As census records indicate, Hans' father, Jens, followed the traditional Danish spelling of Jespersen. The name is patronymic; it indicates the name of the person's father (Jesper) followed by a gender based relationship indicator (sen for son and datter for daughter). The patronymic tradition in Denmark was outlawed and replaced by the international family name tradition in the mid 1800's.
According to the parish and census records of the time, Hans' family followed the patronymic tradition for their children, so Hans and his brothers carried the last name of Jensen, while his sister carried the name of Jensdatter. Hans also had the distinction of owning Jesper as his middle name. It is unknown exactly when the children switched their name to Jasperson to match their father, however all records in the United States show Jasperson, with variations on the spelling, as their last name. There are many possibilities of when this name change took place. Perhaps it changed just before they left Denmark in 1853. Perhaps it was the assumption of a clerk or recorder, on the ship or in New Orleans, that they all had a common family name. Perhaps they made the decision to change to a family name to avoid confusion or comply with American norms. Whatever the reason, changing a family's surname when they immigrated was not uncommon at the time.
The correct spelling of Jasperson is troublesome as well. While the official spelling may have varied due to culture or tradition, there are also misspellings in records, newspapers, etc. Hans' father spelled his name Jespersen. Hans' death certificate, grave marker, signature and other official documents indicate that he and his surviving siblings often spelled their name Jasperson. It has also been recorded, usually in error, as Jesperson and Jaspersen. In the Mormon Immigration Index their last name is recorded as Jergensen.
Many over the years have disputed the correct spelling of the name, however the descendants of Hans still bear the spelling of Jasperson as it rests on the grave of their grandfather. Arguments are futile, for I imagine that the question of correct spelling will be far from my mind when I meet my grandfather in heaven.