Cassy
A feminine name derived from the Greek name Kassia, meaning "shining" or "pure".
Name Census estimates that about 1,866 living Americans carry the first name Cassy. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cassy today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cassy births was 1986 (105 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cassy. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Cassy with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
1.9K
~ 1 in 183,684 Americans
Peak year
1986
105 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2019 SSA rank
#16,002
Tracked since 1947
Census
Cassy in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,260 people with the first name Cassy, which placed it at #6,928 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#6,928
National first-name rank
People counted
2.3K
2,260 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
75.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cassy
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cassy is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cassy described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cassy at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.8% · 1,713
- Hispanic or Latino9.5% · 215
- Two or more races5.1% · 116
- Black or African American5.0% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.1% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 32
Popularity
Cassy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cassy from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 790 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cassy by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cassy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cassys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. Texas, California, Michigan recorded the most babies named Cassy, while Wisconsin, Washington, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cassy
The name Cassy is a diminutive form of the female given name Cassandra, which has its origins in Greek mythology. Cassandra was a daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy. The name Cassandra is derived from the Greek words "kassandra," meaning "shining upon man," and "aner," meaning "man." It is believed that the name was initially bestowed upon Cassandra because of her exceptional beauty and prophetic abilities.
In Greek mythology, Cassandra was blessed with the gift of prophecy by the god Apollo. However, when she rejected his romantic advances, Apollo cursed her so that no one would believe her prophecies. This tragic figure played a significant role in the downfall of Troy during the Trojan War. The story of Cassandra is recounted in various ancient Greek literary works, including Homer's Iliad and Aeschylus' Agamemnon.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cassandra appears in the works of the ancient Greek poet Hesiod, who lived around the 8th century BCE. Over the centuries, the name has been adapted and shortened to various forms, including Cassy, Cassie, and Casey.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Cassy or its variations. One prominent figure was Cassandra Fedele (1465-1558), an Italian Renaissance scholar, poet, and humanist. She was renowned for her intellectual prowess and her contributions to the study of classical literature.
Another notable bearer of the name was Cassandra Austen (1773-1845), the sister of the famous English novelist Jane Austen. Cassandra was a close confidante of her sister and played a significant role in preserving and promoting Jane Austen's literary legacy.
In the realm of literature, Cassy is also the name of a character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's influential novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, published in 1852. Cassy is a mixed-race enslaved woman whose storyline highlights the harsh realities of slavery and the dehumanization it inflicted.
In the field of science, Cassandra Hendricks (1921-2007) was a pioneering African American chemist and educator. She made significant contributions to the development of chemical compounds used in the treatment of cancer and other diseases.
Additionally, Cassandra Wilson (born 1955) is a renowned American jazz singer and songwriter. She has been widely acclaimed for her unique interpretations of classic jazz standards and her fusion of various musical genres.
While the name Cassy has its roots in Greek mythology and ancient literature, it has transcended its origins and been embraced across various cultures and time periods. The name continues to resonate with its associations of beauty, prophecy, and resilience, making it a timeless and meaningful choice for parents.
People
Cassy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cassy as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cassy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cassy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,866 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cassy going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 183,684 US residents.
Is Cassy a common name?
We classify Cassy as "Rare". It ranks above 93.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,996 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cassy most popular?
The single biggest year for Cassy was 1986, when 105 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cassy is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cassy in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,260 people with the name Cassy, or 0.75 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,928 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cassy in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cassy?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cassy leans strongly female. 2,215 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 33 male bearers (1.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cassy?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cassy is White at 75.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.5%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cassy most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cassy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.8% (1,713 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cassy in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cassy a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cassy in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cassy still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cassy in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cassy can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Cassy as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Cassy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.