2000
#9,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,979
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Cadet
A French occupational surname referring to a younger son or the youngest son in a family.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,969 Americans carry the last name Cadet. That puts it at #6,291 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,422 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cadet surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 57,422
Census rank
#6,291
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,205 bearers of the surname Cadet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6291st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cadet, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cadet
Among Census respondents with the surname Cadet, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cadet bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cadet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American88.1% · 4,587
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 291
- Two or more races2.8% · 145
- White2.7% · 139
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cadet
Cadet appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#7,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,607
+1,628 bearers (+54.6%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Up 2,748 places
2020
#6,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,205
+598 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Up 949 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,988 | 2,979 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,240 | 4,607 | 1.56 | +1,628 bearers (+54.6%) | Up 2,748 places |
| 2020 | #6,291 | 5,205 | 1.74 | +598 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 949 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cadet surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,240 | #6,291 | 13.1% |
| Count | 4,607 | 5,205 | 13.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.74 | 11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cadet bearers went from 4,607 to 5,205 (+13.0% change). The surname moved up 949 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,240 to #6,291.
FAQ
Cadet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cadet?
Name Census estimates that about 5,969 living Americans carry the surname Cadet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,422 residents.
How common is Cadet?
Cadet ranks #6,291 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,205 people with the surname Cadet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,969), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Cadet.
Has Cadet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cadet went from 4,607 recorded bearers to 5,205. That is an increase of 598 (+13.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,240 to #6,291.
What does the Census say about the background of Cadet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cadet, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cadet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (4,587 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cadet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (88.1%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (2.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cadet (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cadet mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a younger son or the youngest son in a family. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cadet (1.74 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Cadet?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Cadet at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.