Cashman
An Irish surname most often treated as an anglicized form of an older Gaelic name, though some 19th-century scholars proposed other origins.
The #6,503 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 59,158 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest historical clue points to an Irish origin: Woulfe and Matheson place Cashman among Irish surnames associated with Gaelic forms such as O Ca.../O Cio... (OCR is faulty in the excerpts), suggesting an anglicized Irish family name. Earlier English surname writers, however, offered a different explanation, treating Cashman as a nickname or occupational name connected with Middle English cachen ('to catch') and the idea of a catcher or officer who seized offenders. Because the sources do not agree cleanly, the safest conclusion is that Cashman may have separate Irish and English surname histories, with the Irish line being the more likely for most modern bearers.
History
The surname appears in English records by the 16th century, but the early English explanation is not securely established. In Irish genealogical reference works, Cashman is listed alongside other anglicized Gaelic surnames, which is consistent with later Irish bearers and with the surname's modern distribution. The name is now best known as an Irish surname, especially in Ireland and among the diaspora.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century author even linked Cashman to an old Germanic personal-name element, showing how far early surname scholars were willing to range when a name looked unfamiliar.
From the historical record
“fore signify " one from the Markthal." CASHMAN. From O. G. gast-mund, a powerful man (gast, potens) ; or from geis-mund, a strong man (gesus, vir fortis). Cf. the old German names Adalgis, Gisericus, Vitigis, Wetgisus, &c. It may also be from some Scotch name commencing with Mac. If the name be of German origin, we…”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames