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

Cardozo, 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 Cardozo surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cardozo in America

Cardozo is the 13541st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cardozo surname appeared 2,240 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 Cardozo.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cardozo 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 Cardozo

The surname Cardozo has its origins in Portugal, tracing back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Portuguese word "cardozo," which means "thistle" or "thorny plant." This surname likely originated as a nickname or a descriptive name for someone who lived near a patch of thistles or was associated with the plant in some way.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cardozo can be found in the historical records of the Inquisition in Portugal, where several individuals with this surname were persecuted for their Jewish faith during the 15th and 16th centuries. The name was commonly found among Sephardic Jews who fled the Iberian Peninsula during this period, seeking refuge in other parts of Europe and the Americas.

In the 17th century, the Cardozo surname appeared in the Dutch Republic, where a notable figure named Isaac Cardozo (1604-1681) lived. He was a prominent Jewish philosopher and theologian who wrote extensively on Jewish law and ethics.

As the Sephardic Jews dispersed across the globe, the Cardozo surname traveled with them. In the 18th century, the name can be found in records from Curacao, where a prominent member of the Cardozo family, Isaac Cardozo (1720-1786), served as a merchant and community leader.

In the 19th century, the Cardozo surname gained prominence in the United States, particularly in New York. Benjamin Nathan Cardozo (1870-1938) was a renowned jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was known for his influential legal opinions and is widely regarded as one of the most distinguished figures in American jurisprudence.

Another notable figure with the Cardozo surname was Michael Cardozo (1904-1983), an American lawyer and co-founder of the law firm Proskauer Rose LLP. He played a significant role in shaping the legal landscape of New York City during his career.

The Cardozo surname has also been associated with academic and cultural institutions. For example, the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, founded in 1976, is a prestigious law school located in New York City, named in honor of the esteemed Supreme Court Justice.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cardozo

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

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

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

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