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

Cassady, 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 Cassady surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cassady in America

Cassady is the 7369th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cassady surname appeared 4,519 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Cassady.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cassady 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 Cassady

The surname Cassady has its origins in Ireland, where it emerged as an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name "Ó Caiside" or "Ó Casaidhe". This name is thought to be derived from the Irish word "casadh", which means "twist" or "turn", possibly referring to a physical characteristic or occupation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history written in the early 17th century. The annals mention a family called "Ó Caiside" from County Fermanagh in Ulster.

The Cassady surname is also associated with the Cassidy clan, a prominent family from County Fermanagh and County Donegal. In the 16th century, the Cassidys were among the most powerful clans in Ulster, holding significant lands and influence in the region.

In the 17th century, during the Plantation of Ulster, many Irish families, including the Cassadys, were dispossessed of their lands by English and Scottish settlers. This led to the spread of the surname throughout Ireland and beyond as families sought new opportunities.

One notable individual with the surname Cassady was Neal Cassady (1926-1968), an American writer and iconic figure of the Beat Generation. He was immortalized in Jack Kerouac's novel "On the Road" as the character Dean Moriarty.

Another well-known Cassady was Robert Cassady (1923-2013), an American baseball player who played in the Major Leagues for the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

In literature, the character of Frankie Cassady appears in the novel "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck (1902-1968). Frankie Cassady is a young boy who befriends the Joad family during their journey to California.

The Cassady surname can also be found in historical records from County Fermanagh, such as the Hearth Money Rolls of the 1660s, which list several households with variations of the name, including Cassidy, Cassedy, and Cassady.

Lastly, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Cassady spelling can be found in the register of the Church of Ireland Parish of Devenish, County Fermanagh, where a burial record from 1695 mentions a "Cassady" family.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cassady

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

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 Cassady 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 Cassady 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 Cassady was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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