Casey - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Cathasaigh
Meaning: “vigilant, watchful”
Traditional stronghold: Dublin, Cork
Pronunciation: KAY-see; Irish Ó Cathasaigh: oh KAH-huh-see
History of the Casey name
Ó Cathasaigh derives from cathasach, meaning 'vigilant' or 'watchful in war', and at least five distinct septs bore the name independently. The most prominent were lords of the Saithne in Fingal, north of Dublin, until the Anglo-Norman invasion broke their power; others held lands in Fermanagh, Mayo, Roscommon, and along the Cork-Limerick border, where the name is thickest today. Because the septs were unrelated, Caseys from Munster and those from north Leinster share a name rather than an ancestor. The O prefix was widely dropped under English rule and, unlike many names, was never much resumed, so plain Casey became the standard form both in Ireland and among the huge emigrant communities of Britain and America.
Variants: O'Casey · MacCasey · Cathasach
Famous bearers of the name
- Seán O'Casey - Dublin playwright of the tenements, author of Juno and the Paycock and The Plough and the Stars.
- John Keegan Casey - Fenian poet who wrote the ballad The Rising of the Moon and died at 23 after imprisonment.
- Steve Casey - 'Crusher' Casey of Sneem, Co. Kerry, world heavyweight wrestling champion and champion oarsman.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Murphy · O'Sullivan · Byrne · McCarthy · Daly · Collins · Flynn · Healy