2000
#55,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 343
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Cardullo
A surname of uncertain meaning, possibly derived from an Italian place name or occupational term.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 392 Americans carry the last name Cardullo. That puts it at #63,119 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 874,373 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cardullo 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.
Bearers in the US
392
1 in 874,373
Census rank
#63,119
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
342
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 342 bearers of the surname Cardullo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 63119th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardullo, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cardullo
The surname Cardullo originated in Italy, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "cardo," which means "thistle" or "artichoke." The name was likely given to individuals who lived near or cultivated these plants.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Giovanni Cardullo, a merchant from the city of Naples, who was mentioned in a document from 1234. Another early record comes from the town of Bari, where a family by the name of Cardullo was recorded in the local tax rolls in 1285.
During the Renaissance period, the name gained prominence in various regions of Italy. One notable figure was Pietro Cardullo (1450-1521), a scholar and humanist from Florence who was renowned for his translations of ancient Greek texts.
In the 16th century, the name appears in several historical records related to the Italian Wars. For instance, a soldier named Giacomo Cardullo is mentioned in the chronicles of the Siege of Milan in 1522.
As Italian migration increased in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Cardullo began to spread to other parts of the world. One of the earliest known Cardullo immigrants to the United States was Antonio Cardullo, who arrived in New York City from Sicily in 1892.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Cardullo have achieved notable accomplishments. These include Giuseppe Cardullo (1672-1737), an Italian architect who designed several churches and palaces in Naples; Maria Cardullo (1823-1899), an Italian painter known for her portraits and religious works; and Antonio Cardullo (1859-1936), an Italian-American businessman who founded one of the first Italian bakeries in New York City.
Another prominent figure was Vincenzo Cardullo (1885-1963), an Italian sculptor whose works adorned numerous public spaces in Rome and other Italian cities. More recently, Bert Cardullo (1934-2022) was an American film critic and professor of literature who wrote extensively on cinema and popular culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cardullo
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardullo, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cardullo 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 Cardullo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 324
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 11
- Two or more races1.5% · 5
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cardullo
Cardullo 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
#60,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 332
-11 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 4,787 places
2020
#63,119
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 342
+10 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 2,483 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #55,849 | 343 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #60,636 | 332 | 0.11 | -11 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 4,787 places |
| 2020 | #63,119 | 342 | 0.11 | +10 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 2,483 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 Cardullo 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 | #60,636 | #63,119 | -4.1% |
| Count | 332 | 342 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | 4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cardullo bearers went from 332 to 342 (+3.0% change). The surname moved down 2,483 positions in the national ranking, going from #60,636 to #63,119.
FAQ
Cardullo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cardullo?
Name Census estimates that about 392 living Americans carry the surname Cardullo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 874,373 residents.
How common is Cardullo?
Cardullo ranks #63,119 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 342 people with the surname Cardullo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (392), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cardullo.
Has Cardullo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cardullo went from 332 recorded bearers to 342. That is an increase of 10 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #60,636 to #63,119.
What does the Census say about the background of Cardullo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cardullo, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cardullo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (324 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cardullo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Cardullo (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 Cardullo mean?
A surname of uncertain meaning, possibly derived from an Italian place name or occupational term. 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 Cardullo (0.11 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 share the surname Cardullo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.