Causey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The present generation of the Causey family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in the Pays de Caux (Seine-Infèrieure) in Normandy. However, the surname Causey may have also been applied to someone who lived near a causeway, which was a raised roadway crossing wet or low-lying ground. In this latter case, the surname Causey is derived from the Old English word cauce, meaning causeway. 1

Causey is a classic example of an English polygenetic surname, which is a surname that was developed in a number of different locations and adopted by various families independently.

Early Origins of the Causey family

The surname Causey was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 where John de Chausy, Gloucestershire was listed. Following this early listing further, we found Robert Causeys, Causay was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex 1327, 1332; Robert de Calceto listed in the Assize Rolls for Lincolnshire in 1202; and Henry atte Cause listed in the Somerset Rolls for 1356. 2

The variant "Cossey is an old Norwich name. In 1472, Henry Cossey, who was afterwards rector of Wilby, was a noted friar of the Dominican convent in Norwich; and there were then others of the name in that city. About the same time John Cossey was rector of Cougbam." 3

The Causey variant seems unique to Devon and Cornwall. 4 More specifically, Trusham was the ancestral home of the Causley family, whose descendants include the poet Charles Causley and the folk singer Jim Causley.

Today Trusham is "a parish, in the union of NewtonAbbott, hundred of Exminster, Teignbridge and S. divisions of Devon." 5 But turning back the pages of time, we found that Trusham goes at least as far back as the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was known as Trisma 6 and originally meant "place overgrown with brushwood." 7

Early History of the Causey family

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

Causey Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Causey include Causey, Causley, Cause, Causy and others.

Early Notables of the Causey family

Distinguished members of the family include

Richard Causley of Causey

Causey Ranking

In the United States, the name Causey is the 2,595^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 8

Causey migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Causey were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Causey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Nathaniel Causey, who arrived in Virginia in 1608 9
Thomas Causey, who landed in Virginia in 1623 9
Nathanial Causey who settled in Virginia in 1623 with his wife
Mrs. Causey, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 9
John Causey, who landed in Virginia in 1635 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Causey migration to Australia +

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

Causey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Causey, English convict who was convicted in Exeter, Devon, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 25th January 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Causey (post 1700) +

Jeff Causey (b. 1971), retired American soccer goalkeeper
John William Causey (1841-1908), American lawyer and farmer from Delaware, Democratic United States Representative from Delaware
Peter Foster Causey (1801-1871), American merchant and politician, Governor of Delaware (1855 to 1859)
James Wayne Causey (1936-1955), American Major League Baseball infielder for the Baltimore Orioles (1955 to 1957)
William Frederick Causey (1833-1902), American politician, Member of Delaware State Legislature, 1864-66; Secretary of State of Delaware, 1884-87 11
Peter Foster Causey (1801-1871), American politician, Delegate to Whig National Convention from Delaware, 1839; Governor of Delaware, 1855-59 11
John Williams Causey (1841-1908), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Delaware State Senate, 1875-77; U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for Delaware, 1885-87; U.S. Representative from Delaware at-large, 1891-95 11
Professor Gilbert Causey,

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)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html