Cardon last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Cardon

A surname derived from the French word "cardon," meaning "thistle."

Cardon, 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 Cardon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cardon in America

Cardon is the 18703rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cardon surname appeared 1,469 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cardon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cardon 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 18703 18735 -0.17%
Count 1,469 1,354 8.15%
Proportion per 100k 0.50 0.50 0.00%

The history of the last name Cardon

The surname Cardon is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the region of Burgundy, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "cardon," which referred to a type of thistle plant commonly used as a vegetable.

One of the earliest recorded references to the Cardon name can be found in the Livre des Métiers (Book of Trades) from Paris, dated around the 13th century. This document lists several individuals with the surname Cardon, suggesting the name was already established in the region.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, such as the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Bénigne de Dijon, which mentions a certain Jehan Cardon, a resident of Dijon, the capital of Burgundy.

The Cardon family likely originated from a place name related to the cultivation of thistles or the presence of thistle plants in the area. Some variations in the spelling of the name included Cardonnet, Cardonneau, and Cardonnay.

Notable individuals with the surname Cardon throughout history include:

  1. Gérard Cardon (c. 1460-1530), a French painter and stained glass artist known for his work in several churches across Burgundy.

  2. Philippe Cardon (1532-1611), a French scholar and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Paris in the late 16th century.

  3. Antoine Cardon (1639-1722), a French sculptor and architect who worked on several notable buildings in Paris, including the Palais du Luxembourg.

  4. Jean-Baptiste Cardon (1760-1844), a French chemist and industrialist who made significant contributions to the development of the textile industry in France.

  5. Louis Cardon (1821-1899), a Belgian historian and archivist who published several works on the history of the Low Countries and the city of Bruges.

The Cardon surname can also be found in other parts of Europe, such as Belgium and Italy, likely due to migration and the spread of the name over time. However, its origins can be traced back to the Burgundy region of France, where it was first established and recorded.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cardon

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

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 Cardon was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 81.28% 1,194
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.84% 27
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.16% 17
Hispanic Origin 14.98% 220

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 Cardon has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 81.28% 82.35% -1.31%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.84% 1.55% 17.11%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.16% 1.70% -37.76%
Hispanic 14.98% 14.03% 6.55%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Cardon last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on June 15, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/cardon-surname-popularity/.

"Cardon last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/cardon-surname-popularity/. Accessed 15 June, 2025

Cardon last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/cardon-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.