Explore the Family Name Kassis

The meaning of Kassis

1. Arabic (mainly the Levant): from qassīs, dialect variant of qissīs ‘priest, clergyman’, hence a status name, a nickname, or a metonymic occupational name for someone in the service of a priest. Bearers of this surname are Christians. Compare Cassis 2. 2. Jewish (from North Africa): nickname from dialectal Arabic qassīs ‘Christian priest’ (see 1 above). 3. Greek: possibly a Hellenization of Italian Cassi. It occurs in the Mani peninsula. Some characteristic forenames: Arabic/Muslim Aziz, Fayek, Marwan, Salim, Sami, Adib, Adnan, Afif, Ayoub, Basim, Bassam, Fadi. French Camille, Antoine, Michel.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Kassis in the United States?

The surname Kassis has seen a rise in popularity, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, it was ranked at 29,815 but by 2010, it had moved up to 27,756, marking an increase of 6.91%. Moreover, the count of people with this last name also increased from 744 in 2000 to 866 in 2010, showing a growth rate of 16.4%. This shift indicates that the proportion of people named Kassis per 100k population rose by 3.57% over the same decade.

20002010Change
Rank#29,815#27,7566.91%
Count74486616.4%
Proportion per 100k0.280.293.57%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kassis

On the subject of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data presents some interesting shifts. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander with the surname Kassis saw a significant decrease from 1.61% in 2000 to 0.69% in 2010, a drop of 57.14%. Those claiming multiple races also fell dramatically by 52.17%, from 10.62% to 5.08%. However, the percentage of white individuals with this surname saw a rise of 7.32%, increasing from 82.53% to 88.57%. The Hispanic representation also saw a slight uptick of 23.49%, moving from 4.30% to 5.31%. Data for Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnic identities were suppressed for privacy reasons.

20002010Change
White82.53%88.57%7.32%
Hispanic4.3%5.31%23.49%
Two or More Races10.62%5.08%-52.17%
Asian/Pacific Islander1.61%0.69%-57.14%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%