Find out how popular the last name Cadet is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cadet.

Cadet, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cadet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cadet in America

Cadet is the 7240th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cadet surname appeared 4,607 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Cadet.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cadet to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cadet

The surname Cadet originated in France during the medieval period. It derived from the Old French word "cadet," which referred to a younger son or younger brother in a family. This word ultimately traces its roots to the Latin word "capitellum," meaning "little head."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cadet appears in the Livre des métiers, a registry of guilds and trades in Paris, dating back to the 13th century. Here, the name is listed as "Cadet" and associated with various occupations, suggesting it had already become an established surname by this time.

During the 14th century, the name Cadet can be found in various historical records from the region of Normandy in northern France. For instance, a certain Jean Cadet is mentioned in a land transaction document from the city of Rouen in 1347.

In the 15th century, the Cadet surname began to spread beyond France. One notable figure was Jacques Cadet, a French explorer and navigator who accompanied Jacques Cartier on his famous voyages to Canada in the 1530s and 1540s.

The name Cadet also appeared in various forms, such as "Cadette" and "Cadel," which were likely regional variations or spellings. One example is Marie Cadette, a nun who lived in the town of Besançon in eastern France during the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, a prominent individual with the Cadet surname was Louis Claude Cadet de Gassicourt (1731-1799), a French chemist and pharmacist who made significant contributions to the fields of chemistry and medicine.

Another noteworthy figure was Jean-Baptiste Cadet de Vaux (1756-1845), a French military officer and engineer who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He was involved in several major battles and played a crucial role in the defense of Paris in 1814.

In the 19th century, the Cadet surname continued to be found across various regions of France. One notable example is Félix Cadet de Fontenay (1810-1891), a French writer and journalist who was active in the literary circles of Paris during the mid-1800s.

As the Cadet surname spread beyond France, it also took root in other parts of Europe and the Americas. For instance, in the United States, there was Cornelius Cadett (1860-1937), a prominent African American leader and educator who played a significant role in the civil rights movement in the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cadet

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cadet.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cadet was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cadet has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cadet was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cadet, please contact us.

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