2000
#529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 56,618
First available Census row
Per 100,000 20.99
Uncommon Last name
Cardenas
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of numerous places named Cárdenas, derived from cárdeno meaning "purple."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 87,147 Americans carry the last name Cardenas. That puts it at #421 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 25.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,933 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cardenas 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cardenas with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
87K
1 in 3,933
Census rank
#421
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
25.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
76K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 75,996 bearers of the surname Cardenas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 25.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 421st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardenas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cardenas
The surname Cardenas originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "cardena," which means "bruise" or "bluish discoloration." This could refer to a person who had a distinctive physical feature, such as a birthmark or scar.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Cardenas can be found in the region of Andalusia, particularly in the provinces of Seville and Cadiz. Some historians suggest that the name may have originated from a place name or a family estate in this area.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Cardenas surname was Alonso de Cardenas, a Spanish nobleman who lived in the 14th century. He was mentioned in several medieval documents and chronicles as a prominent figure in the court of King Alfonso XI of Castile.
Another notable figure was Gutierre de Cardenas, a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Aztec Empire in the 16th century. He was one of Hernán Cortés's captains and played a significant role in the fall of Tenochtitlán (present-day Mexico City) in 1521.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Cardenas surname spread to various parts of the Spanish Empire, including the Americas. One prominent individual was Diego de Cardenas, a Spanish explorer who led an expedition through the Grand Canyon region in present-day Arizona in 1540.
In the 18th century, José de Cardenas was a Spanish naval officer and cartographer who contributed to the mapping of the Pacific Coast of North America. He commanded several expeditions along the California coast between 1792 and 1795.
Another notable bearer of the Cardenas surname was Manuel Cardenas, a Mexican revolutionary and politician who played a significant role in the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920. He served as the interim governor of the state of Coahuila from 1913 to 1914.
Throughout history, the Cardenas surname has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, explorers, military leaders, and politicians. While the origins of the name can be traced back to medieval Spain, it has since spread to many parts of the world, particularly in Latin American countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cardenas
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardenas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Cardenas 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 Cardenas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.0% · 70,704
- White4.8% · 3,624
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 973
- Two or more races0.4% · 299
- Black or African American0.3% · 250
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 146
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cardenas
Cardenas 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
#418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 77,652
+21,034 bearers (+37.2%)
Per 100,000 26.32
Rank movement Up 111 places
2020
#421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 75,996
-1,656 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 25.43
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #529 | 56,618 | 20.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #418 | 77,652 | 26.32 | +21,034 bearers (+37.2%) | Up 111 places |
| 2020 | #421 | 75,996 | 25.43 | -1,656 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 3 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 Cardenas 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 | #418 | #421 | -0.7% |
| Count | 77,652 | 75,996 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 26.32 | 25.43 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cardenas bearers went from 77,652 to 75,996 (-2.1% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #418 to #421.
FAQ
Cardenas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cardenas?
Name Census estimates that about 87,147 living Americans carry the surname Cardenas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,933 residents.
How common is Cardenas?
Cardenas ranks #421 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 25.43 per 100,000 residents, which is about 25 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 75,996 people with the surname Cardenas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (87,147), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 25.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 25.43 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 25 of them to have the surname Cardenas.
Has Cardenas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cardenas went from 77,652 recorded bearers to 75,996. That is a decrease of 1,656 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #418 to #421.
What does the Census say about the background of Cardenas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardenas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.0%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cardenas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (70,704 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cardenas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.0%), White (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Cardenas (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 Cardenas mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of numerous places named Cárdenas, derived from cárdeno meaning "purple." 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 Cardenas (25.43 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 Cardenas?
Want to know how many people have the last name Cardenas? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.