🔥Cassian

cass-ee-en or cash-en
Latin, variation of Cassius
"hollow"

Cassian Origin and Meaning

The name Cassian is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "hollow".

Rugged but gentle at the same time, Cassian is a saintly and stylish choice that was derived from the name Cassius. Before 2017, it was an obscure choice, given to a tiny handful of boys each year. As of 2023, however, it's become one of the top ten fastest-rising names in the US, more than doubling in usage since 2022 and edging closer towards the Top 500.

There are a number of fourth and fifth century St. Cassians, one of whom is the patron saint of stenographers (though he must not get much work these days).John Cassian was a monk and ascetic writer who introduced Eastern monasticism into the West; Cassian Elwes is a British film producer, and Patrick Wilson used the alternate spelling Kassian for his son.

It is unlikely however, that any of these can be credited for the rise of Cassian. Instead, we must turn to pop culture.

In 2016, just before Cassian began to climb the charts, the Star Wars Franchise movie, Rogue One, was released and included a character called Cassian Andor, who then went on to feature as the lead in the television spinoff series, Andor. With the sounds of popular Julian, Jasper, and Adrian, like Casper but not too ghostly, Cassian caught people's attention, not just in the US, but in the UK, where it now ranks in the Top 600.

But what caused the even bigger leap up the charts in 2023? Again, we must look towards a fictional character. The popular romance-fantasy book series A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas features a Cassian, and the latest novel included a Cassian storyline that likely put the name on people's radar. "ACOTAR" as it gets called is popular on BookTok and BookTube so it's no wonder parents are taking inspiration from it.

Similar to Nameberry favorite Caspian with sounds that are both strong and soft, both ancient and right up to date, Cassian is a hot name right now, and was given to more than 550 babies in 2023.

# 533 in the US

Cassian Rank in US Top 1000

# 63 on Nameberry

Cassian Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Cassian Popularity

Famous People Named Cassian

  • Saint Cassian of Imola
    4th century martyr and bishop of Brescia
  • Saint Cassian of Autun
    4th century bishop of Autun
  • Saint Cassian of Tangier
    3rd century martyr
  • Saint John Cassian the ascetic
    5th century French theologian
  • Cassian Sakowicz
    Polish Orthodox activist and theologian
  • Cassian Elwes
    British independent film producer and agent
  • Cassian Delsar
    Australian ice hockey player

Cassian in Pop Culture

  • Cassian Andor
    character in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"
  • Cassian
    character in "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series by Sarah J. Maas
  • Cassian
    character from "The Cage" series by Megan Shepherd
  • Cassian Teo
    character in “Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan and son of characters Astrid Leong and Michael Teo