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

Cardena, 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 Cardena surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cardena in America

Cardena is the 39773rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cardena surname appeared 552 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Cardena.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cardena 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 Cardena

The surname Cardena is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period in the regions of Castile and Andalusia. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "cárden," which means "thistle" or "teasel," a type of prickly plant used for carding wool and other textiles.

The earliest known records of the Cardena surname date back to the 13th century, with mentions in historical documents from the Kingdom of Castile. One notable reference is found in the "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a 14th-century manuscript detailing hunting practices during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile (1311-1350).

In the 15th century, the Cardena name appeared in various municipal records and tax rolls across Castile and Andalusia, indicating the presence of families bearing this surname in these regions. During this period, variations in spelling, such as "Cardeña" and "Cardenas," were also common.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Cardena surname was Pedro de Cardena, a prominent landowner and nobleman from the city of Seville in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Fray Juan de Cardena, a Franciscan friar and missionary who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century.

The Cardena surname also has associations with certain place names in Spain, such as the town of Cardeña in the province of Córdoba and the Monasterio de San Pedro de Cardeña, a historic Benedictine monastery located in the province of Burgos. These places may have influenced the development and spread of the surname in their respective regions.

Other notable individuals bearing the Cardena surname include:

1. Diego de Cardena (c. 1510-1580), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Guatemala and Honduras.
2. María de Cardena (c. 1570-1640), a renowned Spanish poet and writer during the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
3. Juan de Cardena y Vega (1632-1697), a Spanish military officer and governor of the Philippines from 1690 to 1693.
4. Ignacio de Cardena (1718-1793), a Spanish architect and engineer known for his contributions to the development of neoclassical architecture in Spain.
5. Carmen Cardena (1888-1976), a Spanish painter and illustrator renowned for her portraiture and depictions of rural life in Andalusia.

Throughout its history, the Cardena surname has been widely dispersed across Spain and its former colonies, reflecting the country's rich cultural heritage and the migration patterns of its people.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cardena

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

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 Cardena 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 Cardena 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 Cardena was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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