Casely-Hayford is an English language

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic. Patronymics are used, b ...

surname that is native to Ghana. It is most commonly borne by the Casely-Hayford family, descendants of the 19th century

Euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

- Fante and

Pan-Africanist Pan-Africanism is a nationalist movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all indigenous peoples and diasporas of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the Trans-Sa ...

, J. E. Casely-Hayford of

Cape Coast Cape Coast is a city and the capital of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly, Cape Coast Metropolitan District and the Central Region (Ghana), Central Region of Ghana, Ghana. It is located about from Sekondi-Takoradi and approximately from Ac ...

. The family is one of Ghana's most prominent families, and in recent times, its members have also risen to positions of influence in the Black British elite. In 2008, the Casely-Hayfords were named on " The Black Powerlist" as the most influential black family in the UK.Lysanne Currie
"Margaret Casely-Hayford: The ActionAid UK chair talks talent, diversity and building a great company culture"
''The Director'', 1 October 2015.

Origin of the surname

The surname was originally simply ''Hayford''. J. E. Casely-Hayford was the first member of his family - a

cadet branch A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...

of the

royal dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. Historians ...

- to use the compound name, adding one of his forenames to the original to form ''Casely-Hayford''.

Notable members of the family

The Casely-Hayfords have been prominent in the law, politics, the arts, and academia. Notable members include: *

Adelaide Casely-Hayford Adelaide Casely-Hayford (née Smith; 2 June 1868 – 24 January 1960), was a Sierra Leone Creole advocate, activist of cultural nationalism, teacher, fiction writer, and feminist. Her commitment to public service led her to improving the condit ...

, MBE née Smith (1868–1960), was a

Sierra Leone Creole The Sierra Leone Creole people () are an ethnic group of Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Creole people are lineal descendant, descendants of freed African-American, Afro-Caribbean, and Sierra Leone Liberated African, Liberated African slaves who ...

advocate,

cultural nationalism Cultural nationalism is a term used by scholars of nationalism to describe efforts among intellectuals to promote the formation of national communities through emphasis on a common culture. It is contrasted with "political" nationalism, which r ...

activist, educator, school founder, short-story writer, and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

* Archie Casely-Hayford (1898–1977),

Ghanaian The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Gold Coast (region), Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of ...

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

and nationalist politician in the Gold Coast, municipal member for

Kumasi Kumasi is a city and the capital of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly and the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is the second largest city in the country, with a population of 443,981 as of the 2021 census. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region ...

and

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

and Natural Resources during the First Republic * Beattie Casely-Hayford (1922–1989), Ghanaian engineer, the first Director of the Ghana Arts Council, a co-founder of the Ghana National Dance Ensemble, and Director of the

Ghana Broadcasting Corporation The Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) was established by law in 1968 with a triple mandate as a State Broadcaster, Public Service Broadcaster, and a Commercial Broadcaster in Ghana. Headquartered in the capital city, Accra, GBC is funded by g ...

(GBC) * Charlie Casely-Hayford (born 1986), British fashion designer * Joseph de Graft Hayford (1840 – 1919), Wesleyan Methodist minister on the Gold Coast * Ernest James Hayford (1858–1913), second African on the Gold Coast to become a physician and later a lawyer on the Gold Coast * Gladys May Casely-Hayford (1904–1950), Gold Coast-born

Sierra Leonean The demographics of Sierra Leone are made up of an indigenous population from 18 ethnic groups. The Temne in the north and the Mende in the south are the largest. About 60,000 are Krio, the descendants of freed slaves who returned to Sierra L ...

writer and pioneer of

Krio language The Sierra Leonean Creole or Krio is an English-based creole language that is the lingua franca and de facto national language spoken throughout the West African nation of Sierra Leone. Krio is spoken by 96 percent of the country's population, ...

literature *

Gus Casely-Hayford Augustus Lavinus Casely-Hayford (born 1964) is a British curator, cultural historian, broadcaster and lecturer with ancestral Ghanaian roots in the Casely-Hayford family. He is presently the Director of V&A East and was formerly the Directo ...

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(born 1964), British curator and

cultural historian Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these gr ...

* Joseph Ephraim Casely Hayford, MBE, (1866–1930) was a Gold Coast journalist, editor, author, lawyer, educator and Pan-Africanist politician * Joe Casely-Hayford,

(1956–2019), British fashion designer *

Margaret Casely-Hayford Margaret Henrietta Augusta Casely-Hayford

(born 1959), British lawyer, chair of

ActionAid ActionAid is an international non-governmental organization whose stated primary aim is to work against poverty and injustice worldwide. ActionAid is a federation of 45 country offices that works with communities, often via local partner organi ...

UK * Louis Casely-Hayford (1936–2014), Ghanaian engineer and CEO of

Volta River Authority The Volta River Authority (VRA) is the main generator and supplier of electricity in Ghana. They are also responsible for the maintenance of the hydro power supply plant. Establishment The VRA was established by the Volta River Development Act, ...

References

{{Reflist Casely-Hayford family Compound surnames Fante people Ghanaian families Ghanaian people of English descent Ghanaian people of Irish descent Literary families Methodist families

Origin of the surname

Notable members of the family

See also

References