Cassady
An anglicized surname often tied to the Irish Ó Caiside, meaning a descendant of Caiside.
The #7,369 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 68,322 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Cassady is commonly treated as an anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Caiside, which is also found in the spellings Cassidy and Cassiday. The Irish personal name Caiside is usually explained as coming from a word for a wisp or curl of hair, giving the name a descriptive sense. In English records, the spelling often shifts freely between Cassady and Cassidy, reflecting pronunciation rather than a sharp difference in origin.
History
The form appears in English-language surname lists alongside Cassidy, suggesting that the two spellings have long been treated as close variants. In Irish and immigrant usage, Cassady is usually part of the broader Cassidy family of spellings rather than a wholly separate surname. The name is especially associated with Ireland and Irish diaspora communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Cassady and Cassidy are often grouped together in older reference works, because the spelling varied a lot before modern standardization.
From the historical record
“Carsley, Carstenson, Carteaux, Carteret, Cartlin, Carven, Carvery, Caryl, Casas, Casey, Cashow, Casmay, Cass, Cassady and Cassidy, Cassell and Cassells, Castendyk, Castin, Casty, Cathcart, Cating, Caton, Cattin, Caulin, Caup, Cayan, Cava- NAUGH (sometimes spelt Cavanagh), Cayerly, Caw- ley, Cawthorne, Cazenove and…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)