2000
#3,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,335
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.83
Uncommon Last name
Cardoza
A Portuguese and Spanish surname derived from the place name Cardoso, meaning "a place of thistles or brambles."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,394 Americans carry the last name Cardoza. That puts it at #2,797 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,812 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cardoza 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 Cardoza with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 23,812
Census rank
#2,797
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,552 bearers of the surname Cardoza in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2797th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardoza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 66.7%. The next largest groups are White (26.9%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cardoza
The surname Cardoza has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in Portugal and Spain. It is derived from the Portuguese and Spanish term "cardozo," which means "thistle" or "thorny plant." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near or worked with thistles or thorny plants.
During the medieval period, the name Cardoza appeared in various documents and records across the Iberian Peninsula. One notable example is the mention of a certain Rodrigo Cardoza in a 14th-century charter from the city of Lisbon, Portugal.
As the centuries passed, the name Cardoza spread beyond the Iberian Peninsula, particularly to regions with strong Portuguese and Spanish influence, such as the Americas and parts of Asia. In Brazil, for instance, the name can be traced back to the 16th century, when Portuguese settlers began arriving in the country.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Cardoza was Juan Cardoza, a Spanish explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century. Another notable figure was Gaspar Cardoza de Acosta, a Portuguese merchant and diplomat who lived in the 17th century and played a crucial role in establishing trade relations between Portugal and Japan.
In the 18th century, a prominent member of the Cardoza family was Father António Cardoza, a Portuguese Catholic priest and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Portuguese literature and history. His extensive writings and publications shed light on various aspects of Portuguese culture and tradition.
Moving into the 19th century, one of the most renowned individuals with the surname Cardoza was Isaac Nunes Cardoza, a prominent Jewish-Portuguese merchant and philanthropist who lived in England. He was instrumental in establishing the Bevis Marks Synagogue in London, which remains an important center of Jewish life and worship to this day.
Throughout history, the name Cardoza has been associated with various fields, including exploration, commerce, religion, and academia. While its origins can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, the name has since spread across multiple continents, reflecting the global reach and influence of Portuguese and Spanish culture and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cardoza
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardoza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 66.7%. The next largest groups are White (26.9%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cardoza 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 Cardoza surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino66.7% · 8,370
- White26.9% · 3,382
- Black or African American2.8% · 353
- Two or more races1.8% · 227
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 187
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cardoza
Cardoza 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
#2,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,824
+2,489 bearers (+24.1%)
Per 100,000 4.35
Rank movement Up 373 places
2020
#2,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,552
-272 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 4.20
Rank movement Up 15 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,185 | 10,335 | 3.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,812 | 12,824 | 4.35 | +2,489 bearers (+24.1%) | Up 373 places |
| 2020 | #2,797 | 12,552 | 4.20 | -272 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 15 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 Cardoza 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 | #2,812 | #2,797 | 0.5% |
| Count | 12,824 | 12,552 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.35 | 4.20 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cardoza bearers went from 12,824 to 12,552 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 15 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,812 to #2,797.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cardoza
FAQ
Cardoza surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cardoza?
Name Census estimates that about 14,394 living Americans carry the surname Cardoza. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,812 residents.
How common is Cardoza?
Cardoza ranks #2,797 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.20 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 12,552 people with the surname Cardoza. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,394), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.20 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 Cardoza.
Has Cardoza become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cardoza went from 12,824 recorded bearers to 12,552. That is a decrease of 272 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,812 to #2,797.
What does the Census say about the background of Cardoza?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardoza, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 66.7%. The next largest groups are White (26.9%) and Black (2.8%). 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 Cardoza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.7% (8,370 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cardoza appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (66.7%), White (26.9%), Black (2.8%). 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 Cardoza (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 Cardoza mean?
A Portuguese and Spanish surname derived from the place name Cardoso, meaning "a place of thistles or brambles." 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 Cardoza (4.20 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 have the surname Cardoza?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.