Cassar () is a

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Maltese ...

surname, common both in Malta and the wider

Maltese diaspora Emigration from Malta or the Maltese diaspora consists of Maltese people and their Lineal descendant, lineal descendants who emigrated from Malta. It was an important demographic phenomenon throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, leadin ...

. It is considered part of the 14 most numerous surnames in Malta.

Origin

According to Maltese linguist Mario Cassar, the surname is of

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

origin, and derives from the Muslim period of Malta. It is proposed that the meaning comes from (, ). The Sicilian word , which is descendant of and has a similar meaning, is a latinisation which closely resembles "Cassar". An alternative Arabic origin is from (). The Arabic

voiceless pharyngeal fricative The voiceless pharyngeal fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some Speech communication, spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is an h with stroke, h-bar, , and the equivalent ...

() evolved into a

voiceless velar plosive The voiceless velar plosive or stop is a type of consonantal sound used in almost all spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is k. The sound is a ver ...

() through spoken

Sicilian Arabic Siculo-Arabic or Sicilian Arabic is a group of Arabic variaties that were spoken in the Emirate of Sicily (which included Malta) from the 9th century, persisting under the subsequent Norman rule until the 13th century. It was derived from Arabi ...

in rural locations, resulting in the modern pronunciation. This "Sicilianisation" can also be seen in other Maltese surnames of Arabic origin, and likely occurred during the 14th and 15th centuries when Maltese Muslims were forced to latinise their surnames during the Norman Occupation. There are also various other proposed origins of the surname.: * It may be traced back to the

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...

, incorporating the island of

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

itself, the area around

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, and the southern part of the Italian peninsula. The surname Cassar may have derived from the given name ''

Cesare Cesare is the Italian version of the given name Caesar, and surname Caesar. People with the given name * Cesare Beccaria (1738–1794), Italian philosopher and politician * Cesare Airaghi (1840–1896), Italian colonel * Cesare Arzelà (1847–19 ...

'', and further back from the Roman family name ''

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...

''. In

Classical antiquity Classical antiquity, also known as the classical era, classical period, classical age, or simply antiquity, is the period of cultural History of Europe, European history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD comprising the inter ...

, the name ''Caesar'' was associated by folk etymology with the Latin word (meaning 'head of hair'). The Maltese Cassar coat of arms has the Latin word (meaning 'hope') inscribed on it. * It may also derive from a fairly common surname in Italy and Sicily:

Cassarà Cassarà is a Sicilian surname, either derived from the town of Cassaro or from , "box- or case-maker". Notable people with the surname include: * Andrea Cassarà (born 1984), Italian fencer * Andrew Cassara (born 1995), Canadian singer-songwri ...

, or

Cassarino Cassarino is a Sicilian surname, either derived from the town of Cassaro or from , "box- or case-maker". Notable people with the surname include: * Mathias Gallo Cassarino (born 1992), Italian Muay Thai fighter * Primo Cassarino (born 1956), Am ...

, possibly from a nickname meaning 'producer of cases'. However these surnames may also be derived from the given name ''Cesare'' or ''Caesar''.

Notable people

The most important representatives of the family are the Cassar Desain, marchese de Sain in Malta and the Cassar Torregiani, one of the richest families in 19th century Malta.https://web.archive.org/web/20100107034828/http://user.orbit.net.mt/fournier/cassar_torregiani.htm Other notable people with the name include: *

Aidan Cassar Aidan Cassar (; born 17 December 1999), known mononymously as Aidan, is a Maltese singer-songwriter. Career In 2018, he competed in the '' Malta Eurovision Song Contest'' with the song "Dai Laga". Following reports that the song, originally des ...

(born 1999), Maltese singer-songwriter *

Anthony Cassar Anthony Cassar (born March 9, 1996) is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler. He was an NCAA Division I champion and a Big Ten Conference champion at Penn State University, and a NJSIAA title holder as a high scho ...

(born 1996), American wrestler *

Antoine Cassar Antoine Christopher A. F. Cassar (born 1978 in London) is a Maltese poet and translator. His book-length poem ''Erbgħin Jum'' (Forty Days, Ede, 2017) was awarded the National Book Prize in 2018, and shortlisted for the European Poet of Freedom a ...

(born 1978), Maltese poet *

Antonio Cassar-Torreggiani Antonio Cassar-Torreggiani (1882–1959) was a Maltese businessman. He was member of the Cassar-Torreggiani family, one of the most powerful families of Malta in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The family rose due to intermarriage with Maltese ...

(1882–1959), Maltese businessman *

Austin Cassar-Torreggiani Austin A. Cassar-Torreggiani (23 July 1915 – 28 January 1978) was a Maltese sprinter. He competed in the men's 100 metres at the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and official ...

(1915–1978), Maltese sprinter *

Brian Cassar Brian Cassar (21 March 1936 – 25 December 2022) was a British singer and guitarist known as Casey Jones. He led the first notable beat group in Liverpool, Cass and the Cassanovas, who were early rivals of The Beatles in the city. He later l ...

(1936–2022), British singer and guitarist *

Eleanor Cassar Eleanor Cassar (born September 29, 1982) is a Maltese pop singer. She won the 2004 Golden Stag Festival. Early life and education Eleanor Cassar was first introduced to music at age 6, as part of her school choir. She was first noticed by her ...

(born 1982), Maltese singer *

Girolamo Cassar Girolamo Cassar (, 1520 – 1592) was a Maltese architect and military engineer. He was the resident engineer of the Order of St. John, and was admitted into the Order in 1567. He was involved in the construction of Valletta, initially as an ...

(–), Maltese architect who designed many buildings in Valletta *

Georgina Cassar Georgina Cassar (born 9 September 1993) is a Gibraltarian/British rhythmic gymnast. She represented Gibraltar at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India and competed for Team GB at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom. Ea ...

(born 1993), Gibraltarian rhythmic gymnast * Harrison Cassar (born 1997), Australian judoka *Ian Cassar (born 1966), known as Req, British DJ, record producer and graffiti artist *

Jack Cassar Jack Cassar (born January 19, 1997) is a Canadian professional football linebacker for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a two-time Grey Cup champion after winning with the Argonauts in 2022 and 2024. University ...

(born 1997), Canadian football player *

Jeff Cassar Jeff Cassar (born February 2, 1974) is an American soccer coach and former goalkeeper who last coached Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer. Playing career Cassar played college soccer at Florida International University, where he was room ...

(born 1974), American football coach and former goalkeeper *

Jem Cassar-Daley Jem Irene Cassar-Daley (born 14 February 2001) is an Australian indie pop singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of country music singer Troy Cassar-Daley and TV presenter Laurel Edwards and is a Maltese, European Australian, and Gumbayngg ...

(born 2001), Australian singer-songwriter * Jennifer Cassar (1951–2018), Trinidadian activist and civil servant *

Joe Cassar Joseph Cassar (born 19 May 1966), best known as Joe Cassar, was a Maltese politician who served as Minister for Health, The Elderly and Community Care. He was a Nationalist Member of Parliament until he resigned in November 2015, both from the ...

(born 1966), Maltese politician *

Jon Cassar John Francis "Jon" Cassar (born 27 April 1958) is a Maltese-Canadian television director and producer, known for his work on the first seven seasons of '' 24''. In 2006, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Seri ...

(born 1958), Maltese-Canadian television director and producer * Joseph Cassar (diplomat) (1947–2018), Maltese diplomat * Joseph Cassar (politician) (1918–2001), Maltese politician * Liana Cassar, American politician *

Matthew Cassar Matthew Edward Cassar (born 16 October 1972) is an Australian former cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler who represented Derbyshire from 1994 to 2000 and Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbrevia ...

(born 1972), Australian cricketer *

Saverio Cassar Saverio Cassar (29 December 1746 – 16 December 1805) was a Gozitan priest and patriot, who was Governor-general of an independent Gozo from 1798 to 1801. Cassar was born in Għajnsielem, in Nadur parish, Gozo on 29 December 1746. He studied ...

(1746–1805), Maltese priest and patriot *

Troy Cassar-Daley Troy Cassar-Daley (born 18 May 1969) is an Australian country music songwriter and entertainer. Cassar-Daley has released thirteen studio albums, two live albums and five compilation albums over 30 years, including the platinum-selling '' The ...

(born 1969), Australian singer-songwriter * Vittorio Cassar (–), Maltese architect and military engineer

References

Maltese-language surnames {{interwiki extra, qid=Q4216763

Origin

Notable people

See also

References