Show ContentsCassell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the historical and enchanting region of Scotland emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Cassell family. Originally, the Scottish people were known only by a single name. The process by which hereditary surnames were adopted in Scotland is extremely interesting. Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. The surname Cassell is a local name, which belongs to the large category of hereditary surnames. There are many different types of local names. Topographic surnames could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. In this case, the surname Cassell is topographical. The name Cassell was first recorded in England in Lincolnshire.

Early Origins of the Cassell family

The surname Cassell was first found in Lincolnshire, where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Cassell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cassell research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1439 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Cassell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cassell Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Cassell, Cassel, Cassells, Cassill, Cassills and others.

Early Notables of the Cassell family

Notable among the family at this time was

  • Sir Nicholas Cassell
  • Sir William Cassell of Warwick
  • Thomas Cassell, Sheriff of Newcastle in 1439

Cassell Ranking

In the United States, the name Cassell is the 4,652nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Cassell is ranked the 435th most popular surname with an estimated 107 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Cassell family to Ireland

Some of the Cassell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Cassell migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cassell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Humphrey Cassell who settled in Virginia in 1636
  • Humphry Cassell, who landed in Virginia in 1636 3
  • John Cassell, who arrived in Maryland in 1652 3
Cassell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Catherine Cassell, who arrived in Virginia in 1724 3
  • Hubbert Cassell who settled in Pennsylvania in 1739
  • Henry Cassell, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 3
Cassell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Cassell, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 3

Cassell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cassell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Cassell, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Cassell migration to Australia +

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

Cassell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Cassell 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:

Cassell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Cassell, British settler travelling from Liverpool (Mersey) aboard the ship "Viscount Sandon" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand then Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in 1860 5
  • Mrs. Cassell, British settler travelling from Liverpool (Mersey) aboard the ship "Viscount Sandon" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand then Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in 1860 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Cassell (post 1700) +

  • Albert Irvin Cassell (1895-1969), American architect in Washington D.C., who designed buildings for Howard University, Morgan State University and Virginia Union University
  • Ollan Conn Cassell (b. 1937), American gold and silver medalist sprinter, inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2006
  • Paul George Cassell (b. 1959), former United States federal judge
  • Samuel James "Sam" Cassell (b. 1969), retired American professional NBA basketball player, current assistant coach for the Washington Wizards
  • Albert Irvin Cassell (1895-1969), prominent mid-twentieth-century African American architect
  • John Cassell (1817-1865), English publisher, founder of Cassell & Co, a British book publishing house in 1848 6
  • Alan Louis Cassell (1932-2017), English-born, Australian actor, on stage, film and television
  • Karl Gustav Cassell (1866-1945), Swedish economist
  • Cassell Pursell, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1964


The Cassell 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: Avise la fin
Motto Translation: Consider the end.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  3. 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)
  4. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 25 Nov. 2019


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