Show ContentsCasser History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Casser

What does the name Casser mean?

The surname Casser comes from the region of Gascogne in southwest France. It was a name for someone who lived in Gascoigne.

John de Caleto or Caux (d. 1263), Treasurer of England, was "probably a native of the Pays de Caux. By Matthew Paris he is called John of Caen (Johannes de Cadamo), and other writers give his cognomen in the various forms De Calceto, De Cauz, De Cauaz, De Caus, and De Chauce. The Peterborough chronicler, Walter of Whittlesea, who wrote in the fourteenth century, states that he was born in Normandy, of a noble family, being related to Eleanor of Provence, the queen of Henry III, and entered the monastic life when a child seven years of age. Coming over to England at an early age, he became a monk of the monastery of St. Swithhun, Winchester, of which he was chosen prior in 1247." 1

Early Origins of the Casser family

The surname Casser was first found in Gascony (French: Gascogne), an area of southwest France bordering Spain, that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution, where the family held a family seat in ancient times.

Antoine Casse, born in 1639, son of Noel and Michelle of St.Pierre, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Piloy De Pitie, born in 1639, daughter of François and Claudine, at Château-Richer on 14th October 1665. They remained together in Quebec until Antoine's death on 1st June 1709. Piloy passed away on 28th February 1713. 2

Early History of the Casser family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Casser research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1576, 1630, 1646, 1672, 1673, 1715, 1719, 1741, 1765, 1792, 1793, 1800, 1810 and 1820 are included under the topic Early Casser History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Casser Spelling Variations

The many different spellings of French surnames can be partially explained by the use of local dialects and by the influence of other languages during the early development of the French language. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Casser is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Casse, Cassé, Cassée, Casset, Casser, Cassez, Casson, Cassonne, Casault, Casot, Caseau, Caseaux, Casseau, Casseaux, Cassaud, Cazeau, Cazeaux, Cazot, Cazotte, Cazault, Cazaud, Caze, Cazes, Lecasse, Lacasse, Lecassé, Lacassé, Lacassée, Lecasset, Lacasset, Lacaze, Lecasson, Lacasonne, Lecasault, Lacazeau, Ducasse, Ducassé, Ducasset, Ducasson, Ducasault, de Casson, de Cassonne, de Caze, de Cazes, Descaseaux, Deschaseaux and many more.

Early Notables of the Casser family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Jean Baptiste du Casse (1646-1715), a French buccaneer and admiral; Dollier de Casson, a prominent Quebec missionary, explorer, architect, engineer and writer, among whose works was "Histoire de Montréal" (1672-1673), the first local history of the Montreal area, and a very true picture...
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Casser Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Casser migration to the United States +

France finally gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the 1700s. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Casser were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Casser were

Casser Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Conrad Casser, who arrived in New Jersey in 1709 3
  • Georg Casser, who landed in New York in 1709 3
  • Johannes Casser, who arrived in New York in 1709 3
  • Alexander Casser, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 3
  • Valentin Casser, who settled in Philadelphia in 1748
Casser Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Francis Casser, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1858 3


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  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)


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