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Irish surname

Casey: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Ó Cathasaigh · 'descendant of Cathasach' (vigilant, watchful)

Woulfe (1923) gives O'Casey and Casey as anglicised forms of Ó Cathasaigh, 'descendant of Cathasach' (vigilant, watchful), the name of six families in what are now Cos. Dublin, Limerick, Cork, Mayo, Roscommon and Fermanagh; 'these families are all still well represented'. He also records Mac Cathasaigh (MacCasey, Casey), 'an old surname in Monaghan and Armagh', which he says is now very rare. In 1890 Casey was Ireland's 59th commonest surname, about 11,300 people.

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Coat of arms associated with the Casey surname
Irish formÓ Cathasaigh
Meaning'descendant of Cathasach' (vigilant, watchful)
CountiesCork, Limerick, Dublin, Kerry
Other spellings2
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Casey crest gifts

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Origin of the Casey name

Woulfe's six Ó Cathasaigh families: lords of Saithne (north Co. Dublin) until dispossessed by Sir Hugh de Lacy; a Dalcassian family in Coshlea, Co. Limerick; a Cork family near Mitchelstown; erenaghs of Kilarduff, Co. Mayo; erenaghs of Cloondara, Co. Roscommon; and erenaghs of Devinish, Co. Fermanagh.[1]

  1. Soon after the Anglo-Norman invasionÓ Cathasaigh lords of Saithne dispossessed by Sir Hugh de Lacy.[1]
  2. mid-1300sNicholas Mac Cathasaigh is Bishop of Clogher.[2]
  3. Elizabethan eraSeveral Mac Cathasaigh gentlemen of Armagh pardoned by Queen Elizabeth.[2]
  4. 1890254 Casey births (incl. spelling variants), chiefly Cork, Kerry, Dublin and Limerick.[3]

Where in Ireland

Co. CorkA family held Coillte Maibinacha near Mitchelstown; first county named for Casey births in 1890.[1][3]
Co. LimerickA Dalcassian Ó Cathasaigh family seated in the barony of Coshlea.[1]
Co. DublinLords of Saithne, in the north of the county, until soon after the Anglo-Norman invasion.[1]
Co. KerrySecond county named for Casey births in 1890.[3]
Co. MayoErenaghs of Kilarduff, parish of Dunfeeny (Tirawley).[1]
Co. ArmaghAn old Mac Cathasaigh name in Monaghan and Armagh, now very rare (Woulfe).[2]

Notable people named Casey

Nicholas Mac Cathasaighfl. mid-14th centuryBishop of Clogher about the middle of the 14th century (Woulfe).[2]

Other spellings

O'Casey · MacCasey[1]

The Casey coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Casey surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Casey surname: questions

What does the surname Casey mean?

Woulfe gives Casey as an anglicised form of Ó Cathasaigh, 'descendant of Cathasach', meaning vigilant or watchful.[1]

Where in Ireland is the Casey name from?

Woulfe records six Ó Cathasaigh families: in north Co. Dublin, Co. Limerick, Co. Cork, Co. Mayo, Co. Roscommon and Co. Fermanagh. In 1890 Casey births were chiefly in Cork, Kerry, Dublin and Limerick.[1][3]

Are Casey and O'Casey the same name?

Woulfe lists O'Casey and Casey together as anglicised forms of Ó Cathasaigh. Casey is also one of his forms of the rare Mac Cathasaigh of Monaghan and Armagh.[1]

Is there a Mac form of Casey?

Yes, but rare. Woulfe records Mac Cathasaigh (MacCasey, Casey), 'an old surname in Monaghan and Armagh', and says 'the name is now very rare'.[2]

Sources

  1. Ó Cathasaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-cathasaigh.php
  2. Mac Cathasaigh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macc/mac-cathasaigh.php
  3. Casey — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/casey.php

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).