Recorded in over eighty known spelling forms, this famous surname equally recorded in its different spellings in England, France, Italy and Spain, has pre Christian, Roman origins. Deriving from the ancient Latin word 'casa' meaning a house, the surname spellings include Casa, Case, Caso, dell Casa, Castle, Casillis, Chasal, Chasel, Chazel, Chazelas, Chazelle, Chazelles, Casetti, Cason, Casaccio, and many others. However spelt it is a residential surname for one who lived in a major house or possibly castle in the town square, and usually the most important dwelling in the settlement. The surname has many aristocratic holders such as the Counts of Casillis, members of the Spanish nobility, or the Counts of Chazelles, from the Langedoc region of France. Residential surnames are often 'reference' names, being given to them by their neighbours, when they moved from their original village or homestead to another area. The following recordings taken from ancient civil and religious registers provide a number of examples. They include Hernando de la Casas of San Estaban, Vizacaya, Spain, on February 9th 1573, and Francoise Charles Chazelles, who married Maguerite Husson, on July 29th, at Blamont, in the departement of Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. The coat of arms has the blazon of a silver field, a red chevron between three red cross-crosslets, inside a red border. The first recorded spelling of the family name anywhere is possibly that of Quitteria Casas. This was dated 1324, at Medina, Gerona, Spain. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.