Cusack Coat of Arms, Family Crest and Cusack Family History

Cusack Family History

The Cusack ancient family history was found in the irishsurnames.com archives.

Surnames developed a wide number of variants over the centuries. Many different spelling variations of the same name can be traced back to a single original root. Also, when a bearer of a name emigrated from Ireland it was not uncommon that their original name would be incorrectly transcribed in the record books upon arrival at their new location. Some names have dozens of spelling variations. Some Surnames were also altered over the years based on how they sounded phonetically, by their sound, and depending on the prevailing political conditions it may have been advantageous to change a name from one language to another. This was especially so in Ireland where most Gaelic names were 'anglicized' at some stage.

Variants of the name Cusack include Cussack and Cusac. This name is derived from a place in Guienne, in France and was first anglicized as 'de Cussac'. The name was introduced to Ireland by the Normans following the invasion of 1172. Among the first of the name were Geoffrey and Andre de Cusack who arrived with King John in 1211, obtaining lands in Meath and other Counties of the Pale where they held a prominent position up to the seventeenth century. Their descendants later supported the Catholic cause which brought about their ruin as a leading family. They lost nearly all of their lands in Meath, Kildare, Clare and Roscommon in the 1691 attainders and the forfeitures of 1701. One of the best known Irish actors on stage and screen was Cyril Cusack, born in the year 1910.The Cusack family crest (or coat of arms) came into existence many centuries ago. The process of creating these coats of arms began as early as the eleventh century although a form of Proto-Heraldry may have existed in some countries prior to this, including Ireland. The new more formalized art of Heraldry made it possible for families and even individual family members to have their very own family crest, coat of arms, including Cusack descendants.