Cassan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Cassan is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest of 1066 brought to England. It comes from de Cassagne, the name of the House of the Lords of Montagu, who were a family of distinction from the province of Bearne, France. 1
Early Origins of the Cassan family
The surname Cassan was first found in Hampshire, where a Ralph Cattessone was on record in 1115. Other early records include Robert Casseson in 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire, John Catessone, on record in the Feet of Fines of Suffolk in 1366, and William Casson in the Register of the Freemen of the City of York in 1601. 2
Early History of the Cassan family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cassan research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1789, 1815, 1820, 1821, 1829 and 1841 are included under the topic Early Cassan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cassan Spelling Variations
Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Cassan family name include Cassan, Cassane, Casson and others.
Early Notables of the Cassan family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
- Stephen Hyde Cassan (1789-1841), English ecclesiastical biographer, son of Stephen Cassan, barrister, by his wife Sarah, daughter of Charles Mears, born in 1789 at Calcutta, where his father was sheri...
Cassan Ranking
In France, the name Cassan is the 2,852nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 3
Migration of the Cassan family to Ireland
Some of the Cassan family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Cassan migration to the United States +
To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Cassan family to immigrate North America:
Cassan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Jean Baptist Cassan, who arrived in New York in 1795 4
Cassan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Anty and Monty Cassan, both bonded passengers, who arrived in Boston Massachusetts in 1849
- Andrew Cassan who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1850
Cassan migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Cassan Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- William Cassan, who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1853
- Edward Cassan, who arrived in Ontario in 1871
- Joseph and Matthew Cassan, on record in the census of Ontario of 1871
Contemporary Notables of the name Cassan (post 1700) +
- Stephen Hyde Cassan (1789-1841), British ecclesiastical biographer, son of Stephen Cassan, barrister, born in 1789 at Calcutta, where his father was sheriff 5
- Louis Pierre Jean Aphrodise Cassan, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 6
- Olivier Cassan (b. 1984), French professional football midfielder
- Lionel Cassan (1956-2002), French television presenter
- Ian Cassan Messiter (1920-1999), English BBC Radio producer and writer, known for his work on Just a Minute (1969), Mr Drake's Duck (1951) and Just a Minute (1969)
The Cassan Motto +
The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.
Motto: Prosequor alis
Motto Translation: I follow with speed.
Citations +
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- 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)
- Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 25 Nov. 2019
- Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) Louis Cassan. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html