Skip to content
Name Lineage

    The first name Cass

    A boy’s name meaning “descendant of the curly-haired one”, “curly”.

    1 syllable Male Also a surname

    Meaning and origin

    Cass means “descendant of the curly-haired one”, “curly”.

    * As an English surname, from a pet form of Cassandra. * As an Irish surname, from Ó Cais (“descendant of the curly-haired one”), from cas (“curly”).

    Cass is a short form of

    .

    From Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

    Popularity

    Babies registered in England and Wales, 1996–2025

    In 2025, 29 boys were named Cass, making it the 1,035th most popular boys’ name.

    01530 1996200020052010201520202025
    246
    babies named Cass, 1996–2025
    #1,035
    rank in 2025
    2025
    peak year

    Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Cass with other names.

    Popularity in the United States

    Babies named Cass at birth, 1880–2025

    In 2025, 19 boys born in the United States were named Cass, the 5,068th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1989, when 43 were.

    02550 188018851890189519001905191019151920192519301935194019451950195519601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025
    GirlsBoys
    1,993
    babies named Cass since 1880
    #5,068
    rank in 2025
    1989
    peak year

    US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

    Famous people named Cass

    4 on Wikidata, most written-about first

    • Cass Sunstein
      American legal scholar, writer, blogger (b. 1954)
    • Cass Gilbert
      American architect (1859-1934)
    • Cass Ballenger
      American politician (1926-2015)
    • Cass McCombs
      American musician (born 1977)

    Questions

    What does the name Cass mean?
    Cass means “descendant of the curly-haired one”, “curly”.
    How popular is the name Cass?
    In 2025, 29 boys born in England and Wales were named Cass, ranking 1,035th.
    Is Cass a boy's or a girl's name?
    Both. Of the 1,993 US babies named Cass since 1880, 7% were girls and 93% boys.
    When was Cass most popular?
    1989 in the United States, when 43 babies were named Cass, its highest rank at 1,771st.
    Is Cass also a surname?
    Yes. Cass is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.