2000
#7,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,367
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.62
Rare Last name
Cardinal
A surname derived from the red-robed senior clergy of the Roman Catholic Church or from the cardinal bird.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,955 Americans carry the last name Cardinal. That puts it at #7,433 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,173 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cardinal 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 Cardinal with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.0K
1 in 69,173
Census rank
#7,433
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,321 bearers of the surname Cardinal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7433rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardinal, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cardinal
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardinal, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Cardinal 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 Cardinal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 3,846
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 159
- Two or more races3.6% · 155
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 57
- Black or African American1.0% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cardinal
Cardinal 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
#7,275
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,580
+213 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 212 places
2020
#7,433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,321
-259 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,063 | 4,367 | 1.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,275 | 4,580 | 1.55 | +213 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 212 places |
| 2020 | #7,433 | 4,321 | 1.45 | -259 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 158 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 Cardinal 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 | #7,275 | #7,433 | -2.2% |
| Count | 4,580 | 4,321 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.45 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cardinal bearers went from 4,580 to 4,321 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 158 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,275 to #7,433.
FAQ
Cardinal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cardinal?
Name Census estimates that about 4,955 living Americans carry the surname Cardinal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,173 residents.
How common is Cardinal?
Cardinal ranks #7,433 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.45 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 4,321 people with the surname Cardinal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,955), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.45 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 Cardinal.
Has Cardinal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cardinal went from 4,580 recorded bearers to 4,321. That is a decrease of 259 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,275 to #7,433.
What does the Census say about the background of Cardinal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardinal, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cardinal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (3,846 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cardinal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Cardinal (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 Cardinal mean?
A surname derived from the red-robed senior clergy of the Roman Catholic Church or from the cardinal bird. 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 Cardinal (1.45 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 Cardinal?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.