2000
#23,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,029
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Cardarelli
A surname of Italian origin possibly referring to makers or sellers of teasels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,212 Americans carry the last name Cardarelli. That puts it at #24,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 282,801 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cardarelli 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
1.2K
1 in 282,801
Census rank
#24,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,057 bearers of the surname Cardarelli in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardarelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cardarelli
The surname Cardarelli has its origins in Italy, specifically in the southern regions of Campania and Calabria. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "cardo," which means "thistle" or "cardoon," a type of edible plant in the thistle family. The suffix "-elli" is a common Italian diminutive, indicating a smaller or diminutive form of the root word.
The name is thought to have emerged during the medieval period, potentially as a nickname or occupational name for those involved in the cultivation or processing of thistles or cardoons. These plants were widely used in Italian cuisine and had economic significance in certain regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cardarelli can be found in a document from the 14th century in the town of Cava de' Tirreni, near Salerno, Campania. This document mentions a certain "Nicola Cardarelli" who was a landowner in the area.
In the 16th century, there are records of a prominent family bearing the name Cardarelli in the city of Naples. This family was involved in the local governance and held positions of influence during the Spanish rule over the Kingdom of Naples.
A notable figure with the surname Cardarelli was Vincenzo Cardarelli, an Italian poet and literary critic born in 1887 in the town of Muggio, near Viterbo, Lazio. He was a key figure in the Hermetic movement in Italian poetry and is considered one of the most significant Italian poets of the 20th century.
Another individual of note was Giuseppe Cardarelli, an Italian lawyer and politician born in 1865 in the town of Castelgrande, Basilicata. He served as a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and was actively involved in the political affairs of the early 20th century.
In the 18th century, there are records of a family named Cardarelli residing in the town of Brindisi, in the Apulia region. This family was involved in the local trade and commerce, and their name can be found in various historical documents from that era.
The surname Cardarelli has also been associated with several places in Italy, such as the town of Cardarelli in the province of Avellino, Campania, and the village of Cardarelli in the province of Reggio Calabria, Calabria. These place names likely originated from the presence of families bearing the surname in those locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cardarelli
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardarelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cardarelli 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 Cardarelli surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 948
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 83
- Two or more races1.4% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 8
- Black or African American0.3% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cardarelli
Cardarelli 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
#23,978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,052
+23 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 826 places
2020
#24,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,057
+5 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Down 661 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,152 | 1,029 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,978 | 1,052 | 0.36 | +23 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 826 places |
| 2020 | #24,639 | 1,057 | 0.35 | +5 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 661 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 Cardarelli 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 | #23,978 | #24,639 | -2.8% |
| Count | 1,052 | 1,057 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.36 | 0.35 | -1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cardarelli bearers went from 1,052 to 1,057 (+0.5% change). The surname moved down 661 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,978 to #24,639.
FAQ
Cardarelli surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cardarelli?
Name Census estimates that about 1,212 living Americans carry the surname Cardarelli. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 282,801 residents.
How common is Cardarelli?
Cardarelli ranks #24,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,057 people with the surname Cardarelli. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cardarelli.
Has Cardarelli become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cardarelli went from 1,052 recorded bearers to 1,057. That is an increase of 5 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,978 to #24,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Cardarelli?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardarelli, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (1.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cardarelli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (948 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cardarelli appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (7.9%), Two or More Races (1.4%). 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 Cardarelli (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 Cardarelli mean?
A surname of Italian origin possibly referring to makers or sellers of teasels. 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 Cardarelli (0.35 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 many people are called Cardarelli?
See how many people have the surname Cardarelli on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.