Cassar

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Cassar is a common Maltese surname.

Possible origins

1: The distinguished surname Cassar can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Sicily, which is located off Southwestern Italy and incorporates the island of Sicily itself, the area of Naples, and the southern part of the Italian peninsula [all this was the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies]. The surname Cassar was [possibly] derived from the given name "Cesare," and originally derived from the famous Roman family name "Caesar." In Classical times, the name "Caesar" was associated by folk etymology with the Latin Caesaries (head of hair). The Maltese Cassar coat of arms has the Latin word "SPES" inscribed on it which means "hope" in Latin.

2: From a fairly common surname in Italy and Sicily: Cassara, Cassara', Cassarino, possibly from a nickname derived from the word "cassaio"meaning producer of cases.

3: Others suggest that it originates from Spain when it was under the Moors: Al-Qassar (Arabic surname, meaning castle); al-qasr (Arabic, meaning palace, fortress & mansion); alcazar (Spanish, meaning fortress). However the Spanish version of the surname is 'Casar' not 'Cassar'. One version of the coat of arms is a fortified tower with a paschal lamb on top holding a flag.

4: From about 800 A.D. to 1090 A.D. both Sicily and Malta were occupied by the Arabs. Control was varyingly exercised from Tunisia (Sunni Aghlabids) and Egypt (Shiite Fatimids). Arab and Muslim culture lingered until the 13th century. Many common Maltese surnames are of Arabic origin, such as Xuereb, Axiaq, Asciak, Abdilla, Casha (pronounced Qasha), Cassar (Qassar and Kassar are common north African surnames), Pace (15th century replacement of Salem as a common surname in Malta), Said, Muscat, Scriha, Buhagiar, Fenech, Buttigieg, and many more. In Tunisia there is a town called Kassar Said, with about 200,000 inhabitants. The Latin letters C, K and Q are freely interchangeable when denoting words or names from Arabic.

5: Another possibility: Cassar comes from the Maltese word 'qassar', since 'q' in old Maltese was similarly said as 'k'. That means a barber, literally 'a persons who cuts short' coming from the word 'qasir' which means short.