Cassar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Italy

The distinguished surname Cassar can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Sicily, which is located off Southwestern Italy and incorporates the island of Sicily itself, the area of Naples, and the southern part of the Italian peninsula. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. The most common type of family name found in the region of Sicily is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Cassar was derived from the given name "Cesare," and originally derived from the famous Roman family name "Caesar." In Classical times, the name "Caesar" was associated by folk etymology with the Latin Caesaries (head of hair).

Early Origins of the Cassar family

The surname Cassar was first found in the year 1278, where Nicol Cesareo was listed in the Sicilian city of Messina. Nicol Cesari, was a priest in Rome during the 14th century and worked closely with Pope Martino V. Later, Giulio Cesarini was a listed as a lawyer in Rome around 1400.

Early History of the Cassar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cassar research. The years 1398, 1444, 1466, 1470, 1510, 1542, 1568, 1571, 1600, 1622, 1640, 1650 and 1750 are included under the topic Early Cassar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cassar Spelling Variations

Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms in comparison with other European surnames because they reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each of which has its distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the most standard Italian surname suffix is "I", whereas in Southern Italy the most typical surname suffix is "O". Sardinian is very different from other forms of Italian and in fact, it is considered to be its own distinct language. Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes, church officials, and the bearers of names, spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. As a consequence of the major changes in the Italian language and in the local spellings of Italian surnames that occurred over the course of history, there are numerous variations for the surname Cassar. These spelling variations include Cesari, Cesare, Cesaro, Cesar, De Cesare, Cesaris, De Cesaris, Di Cesare, Cesarelli, Cesaretti, Cesarini, Cesarino, Cesarìn, Cesarotti, Cesaroni, Cesarone, Cesarano, Cesarato, Cesaratto, Cesariano, Cesareni and many more.

Early Notables of the Cassar family

Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was Giuliano Cesarini was an ecclesiastic in Rome in 1470; Julian Cesarini the Elder (1398-1444), was an Italian cardinal from Rome; his son, Julian Cesarini the Younger (1466-1510) was an Italian Roman Catholic cardinal; Alessandro Cesarini (died 1542), was an Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and Bishop of Pistoia; Cesare Cesarino of Varese was a prominent architect, military engineer, and painter during the early 16th century; Giuseppe Cesari (c. 1568-1640) was an Italian mannerist...
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cassar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cassar Ranking

In France, the name Cassar is the 5,382^nd most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 1

Cassar migration to the United States +

A search of the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Cassar:

Cassar Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Cassar, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 2

Cassar Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Charles Cassar, aged 2, who landed in America from Valletta, Malta, in 1916
Assunta Cassar, aged 33, who settled in America from Palermo, Italy, in 1917
Federico Giusep. Cassar, aged 2, who landed in America from Saletta, Malta, in 1919
Carmelo Cassar, aged 20, who immigrated to the United States from C. Luca, Malta, in 1920
Alberto Cassar, aged 39, who settled in America from C. Luca, Malta, in 1920
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cassar (post 1700) +

Jonathan Cassar, American figure skater
Jeff Cassar (b. 1974), retired American soccer goalkeeper
Antoine Cassar (b. 1978), Maltese poet and translator
Matthew Edward Cassar (b. 1972), former Australian cricketer
Eleanor Cassar, Maltese singer
Jon Cassar (b. 1958), Canadian director and producer

Citations +

http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)