Cassano — Cassano is an Italian topographic surname taken from one of several Italian place names of the same name, most notably Cassano all'Ionio (Calabria), Cassano delle Murge (Apulia), and Cassano d'Adda (Lombardy). The place names derive either from the Latin personal name Cassius/Cassia, from the Roman settlement pattern, or from the Latin term for the cassia or oak tree. The surname is concentrated in Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily.
History & Origins
Place-name surnames — derived from the town or village of origin — were among the most common categories of Italian family names, particularly in Southern Italy where internal migration between towns was less common than in the north, making a person's place of origin a reliable identifier. The name Cassano appears in multiple Italian place names, most significantly in Cassano all'Ionio in Calabria and Cassano delle Murge in Apulia, and families taking the name as a surname may have originated in any of these settlements.
The Apulian and Calabrian Heartland
The Cassano surname is most densely concentrated in Apulia, particularly in the province of Bari (near Cassano delle Murge), and in Calabria, particularly in the province of Cosenza (near Cassano all'Ionio). The Apulian Cassano families were agricultural and artisan communities of the Murge plateau, while the Calabrian branch came from the Ionian coastal plain. Both branches contributed to the Italian emigrant wave of 1880–1930.
The Battle of Cassano
The town of Cassano d'Adda in Lombardy is historically notable as the site of two major battles (1705 and 1799) during the War of the Spanish Succession and the Napoleonic Wars respectively. The Lombard Cassano families are genealogically distinct from the southern branch, though they share the toponymic origin.
The Cassano Diaspora
Cassano families from Apulia and Calabria emigrated to the United States during 1880–1930, settling in New York, New Jersey, and New England. Smaller communities established themselves in Argentina and Australia. The name is documented in Ellis Island records and in Italian-American Catholic parish records.
Genealogy Research Guide
Cassano research should identify which regional branch the family belongs to: Apulia (Bari province, Cassano delle Murge), Calabria (Cosenza province, Cassano all'Ionio), or Northern Italy (Lombardy, Cassano d'Adda). The State Archives of Bari, Cosenza, and Milan hold the relevant records. For US emigrants, Ellis Island records and New York Italian-American parish records are the primary sources.
Notable People Named Cassano
- Various Cassano families of Apulia and Calabria — The Cassano surname is documented in Apulian and Calabrian civic records from the early modern period, when the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies first required hereditary surname use. These families were farmers, craftspeople, and local officials in the hill towns and coastal plains of Southern Italy.
- Antonio Cassano (born 1982) — Italian professional footballer. Born in Bari, Apulia. Played as a forward for AS Roma, Real Madrid, Sampdoria, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Parma, and the Italian national team. His birthplace in Bari reflects the strong Apulian concentration of the Cassano surname.
Related Italian Surnames
Often found in the same regions and emigration records: