O'Casey explained

O'Casey
Meaning:	descendant of Cathasach (vigilant or watchful)
Language origin:	Old Irish (Anglicized)

O'Casey is a common variation of the Gaelic cathasaigh, meaning vigilant or watchful, with the added anglicized prefix O' of the Gaelic Ó, meaning grandson or descendant. At least six different septs used this name, primarily in the Counties of Cork and Dublin.

According to historian C. Thomas Cairney, the O'Caseys were the chiefly family of the Saithne tribe who in turn were from the Dumnonii or Laigin who were the third wave of Celts to settle in Ireland during the first century BC.^[1]

People with the surname O'Casey include:

• Seán O'Casey (1880–1964), Irish playwright
• Eileen O'Casey (1900–1995), Irish actress, author, and wife of Sean O'Casey
• Breon O'Casey (1928–2011), son of Seán and Eileen O'Casey
• Lance O'Casey, cartoon character
• Ronan O'Casey (1922–2012), Canadian actor and producer
• O'Casey (O'Cathasaigh), chief of Saithne, now Sonagh, in Westmeath; see Tuite Baronets

See also

• Casey (surname)
• Casey (disambiguation)
• Pre-Norman invasion Irish Celtic kinship groups, from whom many of the modern Irish surnames came from

References

• Surname DB
• Irish Family Names
• The Casey Clan

External links

• http://caseycloudconcepts.blogspot.com/2011/01/whats-in-name-casey.html?showComment=1350277679751#c2813048136101307288

Notes and References

1. Book: Cairney, C. Thomas . 1989 . Clans and Families of Ireland and Scotland . Jefferson, North Carolina, United States, and London . . 78-81 . 0899503624.