Show ContentsCassady History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Irish names tend to vary widely in their spelling and overall form. The original Gaelic form of the name Cassady is Ó Casaide. 1

Early Origins of the Cassady family

The surname Cassady was first found in Fermanagh (Irish: Fear Manach) in the southwestern part of Northern Ireland, Province of Ulster, where the Irish sept claims direct descent from the Irish King Colla da Crioch who was banished from Ireland in 327. 2

Early History of the Cassady family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cassady research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1143 and 1740 are included under the topic Early Cassady History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cassady Spelling Variations

Those scribes in Ireland during the Middle Ages recorded names as they sounded. Consequently, in this era many people were recorded under different spellings each time their name was written down. Research on the Cassady family name revealed numerous spelling variations, including Cassidy, Cassady, Cassiday, Cassedy, Cassedey and others.

Early Notables of the Cassady family

More information is included under the topic Early Cassady Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cassady Ranking

In the United States, the name Cassady is the 6,189th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3


Cassady migration to the United States +

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Cassady family in North America:

Cassady Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Cassady, who landed in New York in 1801 4
  • Patrick Cassady, who landed in America in 1806 4
  • Robert Cassady, who arrived in America in 1807 4
  • Hugh Cassady, who arrived in America in 1808 4
  • James Cassady, who landed in America in 1812 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cassady migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cassady Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Daniel Cassady U.E. who settled in Home District, [Niagara], Lincoln County, Ontario c. 1783 5
Cassady Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Peggy Cassady, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Robert Burns" in 1834

Cassady migration to Australia +

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

Cassady Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • William Cassady, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Miss Ann Cassady, (b. 1833), aged 18, English nurse girl who was convicted in Salford, Manchester, England for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 22nd April 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1884 7
  • Ann Cassady, aged 20, a dairy maid, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Magdalena" 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Cassady (post 1700) +

  • Carolyn Elizabeth Robinson Cassady (1923-2013), American writer
  • Harry Delbert Cassady (1880-1969), American professional baseball player
  • Captain Thomas Gantz Cassady (1896-1972), American fighter pilot, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) Oak Leaf Cluster and Légion d'Honneur
  • Neal Leon Cassady (1926-1968), American major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s
  • Howard Albert "Hopalong" Cassady (b. 1934), former college and professional American football running back


The Cassady 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: Frangas non flectes
Motto Translation: Thou may'st break, but shalt not bend me.


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. 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
  6. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
  8. South Australian Register Friday 26th August 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Magdalena 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/magdalena1853.shtml


Houseofnames.com on Facebook