Surname Cassiday - Meaning and Origin

Cassiday: What does the surname Cassiday mean?

The last name Cassiday is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic O'Caiside, meaning "descendant of Caiside." The name Caiside translates to 'curly-headed.' The Cassiday family belonged to County Fermanagh and was known for their medical practitioners who served as hereditary physicians to the Maguires, important Irish chieftains. As such, the name could also represent a lineage of medical practitioners. However, the family was dispersed around the 17th century due to political turmoil, leading to various spellings of the surname such as Cassidy, Cassiday, Casaday, etc. Today, people bearing the Cassiday surname can be found in Ireland, the United States, Canada, Australia, and other parts of the world.

Cassiday: Where does the name Cassiday come from?

The surname Cassiday has Irish origins and is an anglicized form of the Gaelic ‘Ó Caiside’, meaning descendant of Caiside. Caiside is a personal name derived from ‘cas’, which means curly-headed. This surname spans several centuries and links to various parts of Ireland, specifically from County Fermanagh.

Today, variations of this surname are common in many English-speaking countries due to significant Irish emigration over the centuries. Popular variations include Cassidy, Cassady, Casaday, Kassiday, and Cassedy. The name Cassiday is particularly common in Ireland and the United States. In the United States, Cassidys are mostly concentrated in the states of New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.

Please note that surname distributions can change over time due to population movements, changes in national borders, and other historical factors, so this information might vary.

Variations of the surname Cassiday

The surname Cassiday has several variants and alternative spellings that developed over time due to regional dialects, translations and evolution of languages. Some of the most common variations and alternate spellings include Cassidy, Cassady, Cassedy, and Kassidy.

The surname primarily originated from Ireland, and in the Irish language, it is spelled as Ó Caiside, which translates to descendant of Caiside. The surname Caiside comes from the Gaelic word 'Casaide' which means 'curly-haired'.

In addition to these spellings, there are variations that emerged due to the integration of the name into other languages and cultures. For example, in Scotland the surname is sometimes spelled as Caissie.

Compound surnames, where Cassidy is combined with another name are also common. Examples include Cassidy-Smith, Cassidy-Jones etc. It’s also worth noting that the spelling and pronunciation of the name may have been further changed or adapted among persons of the same ancestry living in non-English speaking countries.

In some parts of the world, Cassidy might also serve as a first name, and there could be variations in its spelling, like Kassidy, Kassidee, or Kassidi.

Famous people with the name Cassiday

• Hopalong Cassidy (William Lawrence Boyd): An American actor known for his roles in Western films and for his portrayal of cowboy hero Hopalong Cassidy.
• Ted Cassiday: Was an American actor and voice actor, known for his role as Lurch in The Addams Family series.
• Katie Cassidy: An American actress who has appeared in various television shows and movies. She's well-known for playing Laurel Lance/Black Canary in the TV series Arrow.
• Joanna Cassidy: An award-winning American actress known for roles in films like Blade Runner and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, as well as TV series like Six Feet Under.
• Edwin H. Cassidy: An American Roman Catholic bishop.
• Butch Cassidy (Robert Leroy Parker): Not his real last name but took the alias 'Cassidy' in honor of Mike Cassidy, a mentor from his early outlaw years. He was a notorious wild west outlaw and leader of the Wild Bunch Gang. Note: Not all of these celebrities spell their name "Cassiday". However, they have been included due to the phonetic similarity to "Cassiday".

Other surnames

Cassidy