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Cassidy History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Sources

Cassidy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

Etymology of Cassidy

What does the name Cassidy mean?

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

Early Origins of the Cassidy family

The surname Cassidy 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 Cassidy family

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

Cassidy Spelling Variations

Names from the Middle Ages demonstrate many spelling variations. This is because the recording scribe or church official often decided as to how a person's name was spelt and in what language. Research into the name Cassidy revealed many variations, including Cassidy, Cassady, Cassiday, Cassedy, Cassedey and others.

Early Notables of the Cassidy family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Giolla Moduda O'Cassidy (d. 1143), Gaelic poet
Thomas Cassidy (fl. 1740), Augustinian friar famous for his autobiography

Cassidy World Ranking

In the United States, the name Cassidy is the 1,505^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 3 However, in Australia, the name Cassidy is ranked the 687^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,708 people with that name. 4 And in New Zealand, the name Cassidy is the 639^th popular surname with an estimated 1,123 people with that name. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Cassidy as 581^st with 11,295 people. 6

Cassidy migration to the United States +

To escape the religious and political discrimination they experienced primarily at the hands of the English, thousands of Irish left their homeland in the 19th century. These migrants typically settled in communities throughout the East Coast of North America, but also joined the wagon trains moving out to the Midwest. Ironically, when the American War of Independence began, many Irish settlers took the side of England, and at the war's conclusion moved north to Canada. These United Empire Loyalists, were granted land along the St. Lawrence River and the Niagara Peninsula. Other Irish immigrants settled in Newfoundland, the Ottawa Valley, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The greatest influx of Irish immigrants, however, came to North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Thousands left Ireland at this time for North America and Australia. Many of those numbers, however, did not live through the long sea passage. These Irish settlers to North America were immediately put to work building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. Irish settlers made an inestimable contribution to the building of the New World. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Cassidy or a variant listed above, including:

Cassidy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Pat Cassidy, aged 17, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 7
Patt Cassidy, aged 17, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 7
Chris Cassidy, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 7
Francis Cassidy, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1811 7
Elizabeth Cassidy, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cassidy migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cassidy Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Thomas Cassidy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1805
James Cassidy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1809
Margaret Cassidy, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1812
Hugh Cassidy, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1813
Jane Cassidy, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the schooner "Sarah" from Belfast, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cassidy migration to Australia +

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

Cassidy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Cassidy, Canadian convict from Montreal, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. John Cassidy, English groom who was convicted in Ely (Isle of Ely), Cambridgeshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Thomas Cassidy, (b. 1802), aged 20, Irish sawyer who was convicted in County Meath, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1857 10
Mr. William Cassidy, (b. 1782), aged 40, Irish groom who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 3rd September 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. John Cassidy, (b. 1803), aged 29, Irish house servant who was convicted in Waterford, Ireland for 7 years for shop lifting, transported aboard the "City of Edinburgh II" on 18th March 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cassidy 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:

Cassidy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Cassidy, who landed in Hokianga, New Zealand in 1837
James Cassidy, aged 20, a blacksmith, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Helenslee" in 1864 12
Catherine Cassidy, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Andrew Jackson" in 1865
Miss Bridget Cassidy, (b. 1810), aged 58, British shopkeeper travelling from London aboard the ship "Matoaka" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 8th February 1869 13
Mary Cassidy, aged 50, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lauderdale" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cassidy (post 1700) +

Joseph Warren Cassidy (1930-2024), American politician and lobbyist
James H. Cassidy (1869-1926), United States Representative from Ohio
Marshall Cassidy (1945-2021), American Thoroughbred racing official based in New York State, and a former public address announcer
John Joseph Edward "Jack" Cassidy (1927-1976), American Tony award winning, two-time Primetime Emmy Award nominated actor of stage, film and screen, known for The Eiger Sanction (1975), Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol (1962) and The Hollywood Squares (1965)
David Cassidy (1950-2017), American Primetime Emmy Award nominated musician, actor best known for his role in the "Partridge Family," son of Jack Cassidy 14
John Cassidy (b. 1967), American magician 15
Katherine Evelyn "Katie" Cassidy (b. 1986), American two-time Teen Choice Award nominated actress, known for her roles in Arrow (2012), Taken (2008) and Click (2006), daughter of David Cassidy
James Edwin Cassidy (1869-1951), American Roman Catholic bishop in Massachusetts
Eva Cassidy (1963-1996), American singer
Commander, USN Christopher J. Cassidy (b. 1970), NASA Astronaut with over 376 hours in space 16
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Cassidy family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Bernard Cassidy, Irish Fireman from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 17

SS Atlantic

Kate Cassidy, British crew member who was aboard the ship "SS Atlantic" when it struck rocks off Nova Scotia in 1873, died in the sinking

USS Indianapolis

John Curran Jack Cassidy (1927-2001), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he survived the sinking 18

Winter Quarters coal mine

Mr. Martin Cassidy, American mine worker from Spring Valley, Illinois who worked in the Winter Quarters coal mine on 1st May 1900, when 10 of the 25lb kegs of black powder exploded; he died in the explosion 19

The Cassidy 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.

Sources +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 11th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/city-of-edinburgh
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
David Cassidy. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) David Cassidy. Retrieved from http://www.davidcassidy.com
John Cassidy. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) John Cassidy. Retrieved from http://www.johncassidy.com
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) Christopher Cassidy. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cassidy-cj.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew
Miners killed in Winter Quarters (retrieved 28th July 2021). Retrieved from http://www.carbon-utgenweb.com/miners.html