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

Cardinal, 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 Cardinal surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cardinal in America

Cardinal is the 7275th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cardinal surname appeared 4,580 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Cardinal.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cardinal 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 Cardinal

The surname Cardinal has its origins in France and Italy, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Latin word "cardinalis," meaning "principal" or "chief." The name was initially given to high-ranking Catholic clergy members known as cardinals.

In France, the Cardinal surname can be traced back to the 12th century, where it was used to refer to members of the Catholic Church's College of Cardinals. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name appear in medieval French records and manuscripts.

One notable figure bearing the Cardinal surname was Pierre Cardinal, a French prelate who lived from 1165 to 1252. He served as the Bishop of Meaux and played a significant role in the ecclesiastical affairs of his time.

In Italy, the Cardinal surname emerged around the same period, with the earliest known record dating back to the 13th century. It was often associated with influential families involved in the Catholic Church hierarchy.

One famous Italian with the Cardinal surname was Jacopo Cardinal, a renowned jurist and scholar who lived from 1285 to 1348. He was a prominent figure in the legal and intellectual circles of his era.

Another notable figure was Girolamo Cardinal, an Italian playwright and poet born in 1506 and died in 1586. He was known for his contributions to the Renaissance literary scene.

In England, the Cardinal surname can be traced back to the 16th century, where it was sometimes spelled as "Cardinall" or "Cardenall." One notable English bearer of the name was Thomas Cardinal, a church reformer and Protestant martyr who lived from 1532 to 1555.

The Cardinal surname has also been associated with certain place names, such as Cardington in Bedfordshire, England, and Cardinal, Ontario, in Canada. These place names may have influenced the surname's geographical spread and variations.

Other notable historical figures with the Cardinal surname include Francisco Cardinal, a Spanish explorer and navigator who lived from 1490 to 1548, and Marie Cardinal, a French writer and feminist activist born in 1928 and died in 2001.

Overall, the Cardinal surname has a rich history rooted in the Catholic Church's hierarchical structure and its spread across various European countries, reflecting the influence of religion and ecclesiastical institutions on naming traditions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cardinal

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

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

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

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