Contents [hide]

Cass History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Cass History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Cass is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name was taken on by someone who worked as a maker of boxes or chests. The surname Cass is derived from the Old French word casse, which means case. Thus, Cass is a metonymic type of occupational surname; it is derived from the principal object associated with the occupation, which in this case was the product produced.

Early Origins of the Cass family

The surname Cass was first found in Cambridgeshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Cass family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cass research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1130, 1661, 1665 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Cass History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cass Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Cass include Cash, Cass, Cashe and others.

Early Notables of the Cass family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Thomas Cass, carpenter to the Royal Ordnance

Cass Ranking

In the United States, the name Cass is the 3,884^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1

Cass migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Cass Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Cass, who settled in Virginia in 1639
Joseph Cass, who arrived in New England in 1680 2

Cass Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Cass, who settled in Maryland in 1718

Cass Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jacob Cass, aged 48, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1824 2
Patrick Cass, who landed in South Carolina in 1824 2
John Cass, who landed in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1834 2
H Cass, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
James Cass, who landed in Alabama in 1855 2

Cass migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cass Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

George Cass, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774
Mr. Elihu Cass U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 3
Mr. Joseph Pomeroy Cass U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 3
Mr. Josiah Cass U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 3
Mr. Josiah Cass Sr., U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cass migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Cass Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Martin Cass, English convict who was convicted in Coventry, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
John Cass, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Constitution" in 1851 5
Martin Cass, aged 43, a farm servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Trafalgar" 6
Mary Cass, aged 32, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Europa" 7

Cass migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cass Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr Cass, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Antilla
Mr. Cass, British settler travelling from Cape of Good Hope, South Africa aboard the ship "Antilla" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 8th December 1841 8
Captain Thomas Cass, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bernica" en route to Otago via passenger disembarked at Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand in December 1848 8
Miss Cass, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Thames" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 25th November 1849 9
Mrs. Mary A. Cass, (b. 1838), aged 25, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Lancashire Witch" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 13th October 1863 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cass (post 1700) +

Momma Cass (1941-1974), born Ellen Naomi Cohen, also known professionally as Cass Elliot, an American singer and actress, member of the singing group The Mamas & the Papas, posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
David S. Cass Sr. (1942-2020), American film director and stuntman, director of Avenging Angel, Desolation Canyon, and Thicker than Water
Mama Cass (1941-1974), stage name of Cass Elliot, American singer and member of The Mamas & the Papas
Colonel Thomas Cass (1821-1862), American founder and commander of the 9th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry of the Union Army
George Washington Cass (1810-1888), American industrialist, president of the Northern Pacific Railway
Richard W. "Dick" Cass (b. 1946), American President of the National Football League's Baltimore Ravens
Maurice Cass (1884-1954), American character actor, best remembered for his role as Professor Newton in the 1954 TV science fiction show Rocky Jones, Space Ranger
Lewis Cass (1782-1866), American statesman, 22nd United States Secretary of State (1857-1860)
David Cass (1937-2008), American professor of economics, best known for his work on the Ramsey-Cass-Koopmans model of economic growth
Jen Cass, American singer-songwriter
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Cass family +

HMS Royal Oak

Leonard Cass (d. 1939), British Leading Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 10

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CONSTITUTION 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Constitution.htm
South Australian Register Thursday 29th June 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Trafalgar 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/trafalgar1854.shtml
South Australian Register Monday 14th May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Europa 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/europa1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html