Boy · Latin · International · Christian
Cassian
CassianSay it KASH-un (also KASS-ee-un)
- Meaning today
- Hollow, empty
- Original meaning
- "of Cassius, a Roman family name perhaps from cassus, "empty"" Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, s.v. Cassian
- Say it
- KASH-un (also KASS-ee-un)
Cassian
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Cassian meaning
Cassian is an international and Christian boy's name of Latin origin.
Of Cassius, a Roman family name perhaps from cassus, "empty"
Also used to mean: hollow
Cassian comes from the Latin name Cassianus, "of Cassius". Lewis & Short record Cassius as the name of a Roman family whose best-known member, Gaius Cassius Longinus, was one of the men who killed Julius Caesar. The Dictionary of Medieval Names suggests the family name may come from Latin cassus, "empty" or "hollow", which is where name lists get those meanings, though the link is not certain. The name spread through Saint John Cassian, the fifth-century monk who carried the ways of the Egyptian desert monks to Marseille, and it is now familiar from Cassian Andor of the Star Wars stories. It is said KASH-un or KASS-ee-un.
Source: Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (DMNES), s.v. Cassian · entry Cassian · See the entry · checked 27 Oct 2026
References: DMNES, Cassian · Lewis & Short, Cassius (Perseus) · Lewis & Short, cassus (Perseus) · Britannica, Saint John Cassian
Famous namesakes
- Saint John Cassian, fifth-century monk and writer
Popularity abroad
- #479 United States, boys 2025 (up 138 from 617 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #287 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.