Find out how popular the last name Casey is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Casey.

Casey, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Casey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Casey in America

Casey is the 504th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Casey surname appeared 66,556 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 23 people would have the surname Casey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Casey to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Casey

The surname Casey originated in Ireland, with roots tracing back to the 12th century. It is an Anglicized form of the Old Irish Gaelic name "O'Caiside," which means "descendant of Caiside." Caiside was derived from the word "cais," meaning "twisted" or "winding," likely referring to a geographic feature or the curved shape of a river.

The earliest recorded instances of the Casey name can be found in medieval Irish annals and genealogical records, such as the Annals of the Four Masters. One notable example is Conchobhar O'Caiside, a prominent chieftain in County Tipperary, who is mentioned in the annals around the year 1200.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, during the Tudor and Cromwellian conquests of Ireland, many Irish families adopted Anglicized versions of their surnames to avoid persecution or for administrative purposes. This led to the emergence of the Casey spelling, which became more widespread.

The Casey surname has a strong association with County Limerick and County Tipperary in Ireland. Some notable historical figures bearing this name include:

1. Liam Casey (1897-1966), an Irish politician and member of the Irish Revolutionary Army during the Irish War of Independence.
2. Siobhán Casey (1963-2018), an Irish novelist and short story writer, known for her works exploring contemporary Irish life.
3. John Casey (1820-1891), an Irish-American bishop who served as the third Bishop of Brooklyn, New York.
4. Sean Casey (1974-present), an American former professional baseball player who played for the Cincinnati Reds and several other teams.
5. Al Casey (1915-2005), an American television and film director, best known for his work on the sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies."

The Casey name is also found in various place names, such as Casey's Bog in County Tipperary and Casey's Castle, a tower house located in County Clare, Ireland. These place names further reflect the historical presence of the Casey family in different regions of the country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Casey

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Casey.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Casey was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Casey has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Casey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Casey, please contact us.

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