2000
#4,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,361
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.73
Uncommon Last name
Cardoso
A Portuguese and Spanish surname derived from the word "cardo" meaning thistle, likely referring to a prickly or tough person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,874 Americans carry the last name Cardoso. That puts it at #3,129 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cardoso 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 Cardoso with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,624
Census rank
#3,129
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,227 bearers of the surname Cardoso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3129th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardoso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 53.2%. The next largest groups are White (34.8%) and Black (9.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cardoso
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardoso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 53.2%. The next largest groups are White (34.8%) and Black (9.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Cardoso 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 Cardoso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino53.2% · 5,969
- White34.8% · 3,905
- Black or African American9.4% · 1,060
- Two or more races1.5% · 167
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cardoso
Cardoso 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
#3,197
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,304
+3,943 bearers (+53.6%)
Per 100,000 3.83
Rank movement Up 1,249 places
2020
#3,129
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,227
-77 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 3.76
Rank movement Up 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,446 | 7,361 | 2.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,197 | 11,304 | 3.83 | +3,943 bearers (+53.6%) | Up 1,249 places |
| 2020 | #3,129 | 11,227 | 3.76 | -77 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 68 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 Cardoso 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 | #3,197 | #3,129 | 2.1% |
| Count | 11,304 | 11,227 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.83 | 3.76 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cardoso bearers went from 11,304 to 11,227 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,197 to #3,129.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cardoso
FAQ
Cardoso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cardoso?
Name Census estimates that about 12,874 living Americans carry the surname Cardoso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,624 residents.
How common is Cardoso?
Cardoso ranks #3,129 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,227 people with the surname Cardoso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,874), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Cardoso.
Has Cardoso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cardoso went from 11,304 recorded bearers to 11,227. That is a decrease of 77 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,197 to #3,129.
What does the Census say about the background of Cardoso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardoso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 53.2%. The next largest groups are White (34.8%) and Black (9.4%). 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 Cardoso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.2% (5,969 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cardoso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (53.2%), White (34.8%), Black (9.4%). 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 Cardoso (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 Cardoso mean?
A Portuguese and Spanish surname derived from the word "cardo" meaning thistle, likely referring to a prickly or tough person. 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 Cardoso (3.76 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 are called Cardoso?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Cardoso at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.