Show ContentsCasian History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Casian

What does the name Casian mean?

The name Casian came to England with the ancestors of the Casian family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. It comes from de Cassagne, the name of the House of the Lords of Montagu, who were a family of distinction from the province of Bearne, France. 1

Early Origins of the Casian family

The surname Casian was first found in Hampshire, where a Ralph Cattessone was on record in 1115. Other early records include Robert Casseson in 1327 in the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire, John Catessone, on record in the Feet of Fines of Suffolk in 1366, and William Casson in the Register of the Freemen of the City of York in 1601. 2

Early History of the Casian family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Casian research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1789, 1815, 1820, 1821, 1829 and 1841 are included under the topic Early Casian History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Casian Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Cassan, Cassane, Casson and others.

Early Notables of the Casian family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Stephen Hyde Cassan (1789-1841), English ecclesiastical biographer, son of Stephen Cassan, barrister, by his wife Sarah, daughter of Charles Mears, born in 1789 at Calcutta, where his father was sheriff. He was educated at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, and took his B.A. degree on 14 Jan. 1815. He received deacon's orders on 26 March following, and was ordained priest the next year. While curate of Frome...
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Casian Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Casian family to Ireland

Some of the Casian family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Casian family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Casian name or one of its variants: Anty and Monty Cassan, both bonded passengers, who arrived in Boston Massachusetts in 1849; Andrew Cassan who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1850.



The Casian 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: Prosequor alis
Motto Translation: I follow with speed.


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)


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