2000
#22,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,062
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.39
Rare Last name
Cassara
An Italian surname originating from the town of Cassaro in Sicily.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,026 Americans carry the last name Cassara. That puts it at #28,366 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 334,069 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cassara surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
1.0K
1 in 334,069
Census rank
#28,366
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
895
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 895 bearers of the surname Cassara in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 28366th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cassara, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cassara
The surname Cassara is of Italian origin, specifically from the island of Sicily. It is believed to have derived from the Greek word 'kassara', which means a small village or hamlet. The name can be traced back to the 11th century, during the Norman conquest of Sicily.
Cassara was first recorded in the medieval records of the town of Palermo, where it was commonly used to refer to families living in the rural areas surrounding the city. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in a land grant from the year 1195, which mentions a certain Guglielmo Cassara as the recipient of a parcel of farmland.
During the 13th century, the name appears in several chronicles and manuscripts related to the island's nobility and landed gentry. A notable example is the Liber Regius, an official register of noble families compiled in 1283, which lists several Cassara households among the prominent landowners of the time.
In the 15th century, the Cassara name gained further prominence when Giovanni Cassara (1420-1498) became a prominent merchant and banker in Palermo. His descendants went on to establish themselves as a wealthy and influential family, with several members holding important positions in the city's government and church.
Another notable figure was Antonino Cassara (1572-1642), a Sicilian jurist and scholar who authored several influential works on legal theory and practice. He served as a judge in the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Sicily and was widely respected for his expertise in civil and canon law.
In the 18th century, the name Cassara was also found among the ranks of the Sicilian nobility. One such example is Vincenzo Cassara (1705-1782), a wealthy landowner and patron of the arts who commissioned several important works of architecture and sculpture in Palermo and its surrounding areas.
Throughout the centuries, the Cassara name has also been associated with various places and geographic features in Sicily. For instance, the town of Cassaro, located in the province of Siracusa, is believed to have derived its name from the Cassara family, who were once prominent landowners in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cassara
Among Census respondents with the surname Cassara, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Cassara bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cassara surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 798
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 66
- Two or more races1.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 9
- Black or African American0.8% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cassara
Cassara appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#19,527
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,383
+321 bearers (+30.2%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Up 3,064 places
2020
#28,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 895
-488 bearers (-35.3%)
Per 100,000 0.30
Rank movement Down 8,839 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,591 | 1,062 | 0.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,527 | 1,383 | 0.47 | +321 bearers (+30.2%) | Up 3,064 places |
| 2020 | #28,366 | 895 | 0.30 | -488 bearers (-35.3%) | Down 8,839 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cassara surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #19,527 | #28,366 | -45.3% |
| Count | 1,383 | 895 | -35.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.30 | -36.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cassara bearers went from 1,383 to 895 (-35.3% change). The surname moved down 8,839 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,527 to #28,366.
FAQ
Cassara surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cassara?
Name Census estimates that about 1,026 living Americans carry the surname Cassara. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 334,069 residents.
How common is Cassara?
Cassara ranks #28,366 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 895 people with the surname Cassara. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,026), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cassara.
Has Cassara become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cassara went from 1,383 recorded bearers to 895. That is a decrease of 488 (-35.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,527 to #28,366.
What does the Census say about the background of Cassara?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cassara, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cassara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (798 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cassara appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (7.4%), Two or More Races (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cassara (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cassara mean?
An Italian surname originating from the town of Cassaro in Sicily. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cassara (0.30 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Cassara?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.