2000
#14,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,831
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Cardiel
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "the thistle fields."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,652 Americans carry the last name Cardiel. That puts it at #12,744 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,244 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cardiel 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
2.7K
1 in 129,244
Census rank
#12,744
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,313 bearers of the surname Cardiel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12744th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardiel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cardiel
The surname Cardiel originates from Spain, and its roots can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "cardiel," which refers to a place where thistles or cardoons grow abundantly.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías de Castilla, a census-like document from the 14th century that documented the names and properties of nobles and commoners in the Kingdom of Castile. The document mentions individuals with the surname Cardiel living in various regions of northern Spain.
During the 15th century, the surname Cardiel appeared in several historical records, including the Libro de la Cadena, a registry of noblemen and their coats of arms in the city of Seville. This suggests that some members of the Cardiel family held prominent positions in Andalusian society at the time.
In the 16th century, Juan Cardiel (1490-1562), a Spanish Dominican friar and theologian, was known for his works on ecclesiastical law and his participation in the Council of Trent. His writings and contributions to the Catholic Church helped establish the surname's significance during the Renaissance era.
Another notable figure was Pedro Cardiel (1720-1781), a Spanish Jesuit missionary and explorer who traveled extensively in the Americas, particularly in what is now northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. His detailed accounts of the indigenous peoples and landscapes he encountered are valuable historical sources.
In the 19th century, Manuel Cardiel (1815-1892), a Spanish politician and lawyer, served as a deputy in the Spanish Parliament and was instrumental in drafting several legal reforms during the reign of Queen Isabella II.
Furthermore, the surname Cardiel has been associated with certain place names in Spain, such as Cardiel de los Montes, a municipality in the province of Toledo, and Cardiel de la Reina, a locality in the province of Burgos. These place names likely originated from the presence of thistles or cardoons in those areas, reflecting the surname's botanical origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cardiel
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardiel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cardiel 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 Cardiel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.0% · 2,129
- White6.3% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
- Two or more races0.4% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cardiel
Cardiel 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
#12,351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,517
+686 bearers (+37.5%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 2,496 places
2020
#12,744
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,313
-204 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 393 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,847 | 1,831 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,351 | 2,517 | 0.85 | +686 bearers (+37.5%) | Up 2,496 places |
| 2020 | #12,744 | 2,313 | 0.77 | -204 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 393 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 Cardiel 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 | #12,351 | #12,744 | -3.2% |
| Count | 2,517 | 2,313 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.77 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cardiel bearers went from 2,517 to 2,313 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 393 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,351 to #12,744.
FAQ
Cardiel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cardiel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,652 living Americans carry the surname Cardiel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,244 residents.
How common is Cardiel?
Cardiel ranks #12,744 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,313 people with the surname Cardiel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,652), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cardiel.
Has Cardiel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cardiel went from 2,517 recorded bearers to 2,313. That is a decrease of 204 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,351 to #12,744.
What does the Census say about the background of Cardiel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardiel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Cardiel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,129 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cardiel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.0%), White (6.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Cardiel (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 Cardiel mean?
A Spanish habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "the thistle fields." 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 Cardiel (0.77 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 share the surname Cardiel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.