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

Cardoso, 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 Cardoso surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cardoso in America

Cardoso is the 3197th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cardoso surname appeared 11,304 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Cardoso.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cardoso 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 Cardoso

The surname Cardoso has its origins in Portugal and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin word "carduus," meaning thistle, and the suffix "-oso," indicating abundance. The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who lived near an area abundant with thistles or worked with this plant.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Cardoso surname can be found in a 13th-century Portuguese manuscript, where it was spelled "Cardoso." This spelling has remained largely consistent throughout history, with minor variations such as "Cardozo" in some regions.

The Cardoso name is also associated with several place names in Portugal, such as Cardoso da Beira and Cardoso de Arão, suggesting that some individuals may have adopted the surname based on their place of origin or residence.

Notable individuals with the surname Cardoso include:

1. Isaac Cardoso (1603-1683), a Jewish philosopher, scholar, and author born in Portugal.
2. Fernão Cardim (1543-1625), a Portuguese Jesuit missionary and explorer who traveled to Brazil in the 16th century.
3. Inácio Cardoso (1563-1628), a Portuguese Jesuit missionary and linguist who worked in Japan and China.
4. Baltasar Cardoso de Miranda (1670-1744), a Portuguese nobleman and military officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession.
5. Manuel Cardoso (1566-1650), a Portuguese composer and organist during the Renaissance period.

The Cardoso surname has since spread throughout the Portuguese-speaking world, including Brazil, where it is also widely found. It has also gained prominence in other countries due to migration and intermarriage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cardoso

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

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

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

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