2000
#7,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,853
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Cordeiro
An occupational surname referring to a rope maker or cord maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,851 Americans carry the last name Cordeiro. That puts it at #7,573 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,656 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cordeiro 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 Cordeiro with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 70,656
Census rank
#7,573
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,230 bearers of the surname Cordeiro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7573rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cordeiro, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cordeiro
The surname Cordeiro is of Portuguese origin, derived from the Portuguese word "cordeiro" meaning "lamb". It first emerged in the late medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century, likely as a nickname or occupational name for someone who worked with lambs or sheep.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cordeiro can be found in the "Livro Velho de Linhagens" (Old Book of Lineages), a medieval Portuguese manuscript dating back to the 14th century. This document mentions several individuals with the surname, indicating its presence in Portugal at that time.
The Cordeiro name is particularly associated with the northern regions of Portugal, such as the provinces of Minho and Trás-os-Montes, where sheep farming has been a traditional occupation for centuries. It is possible that the name originated in these areas and then spread to other parts of the country.
In the 15th century, during the Age of Discovery, some Portuguese with the surname Cordeiro likely participated in the exploration and colonization of new territories, carrying the name to various parts of the world, including Brazil, where it became well-established.
One notable figure with the surname Cordeiro was João Cordeiro, a 16th-century Portuguese explorer and navigator who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan on his famous circumnavigation voyage (1519-1522). Another was Jacinto Cordeiro (1606-1646), a Portuguese Jesuit priest and missionary who worked in Brazil.
In the 18th century, José Cordeiro Lopes (1735-1808) was a prominent Portuguese politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs during the reign of Queen Maria I. A century later, Manuel Joaquim Cordeiro (1823-1895) was a notable Portuguese writer and journalist.
More recently, António Cordeiro (1919-2000) was a renowned Portuguese painter and illustrator, known for his vibrant depictions of traditional Portuguese life and landscapes. His contemporary, José Alves Cordeiro (1921-1993), was a celebrated Portuguese architect responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Lisbon.
These are just a few examples of individuals with the surname Cordeiro who have made notable contributions throughout history, reflecting the long-standing presence and importance of this name within Portuguese culture and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cordeiro
Among Census respondents with the surname Cordeiro, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cordeiro 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 Cordeiro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.9% · 3,424
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 354
- Two or more races4.8% · 201
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 198
- Black or African American1.2% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cordeiro
Cordeiro 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
#8,016
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,128
+275 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 50 places
2020
#7,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,230
+102 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Up 443 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,966 | 3,853 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,016 | 4,128 | 1.40 | +275 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 50 places |
| 2020 | #7,573 | 4,230 | 1.42 | +102 bearers (+2.5%) | Up 443 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 Cordeiro 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 | #8,016 | #7,573 | 5.5% |
| Count | 4,128 | 4,230 | 2.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.42 | 1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cordeiro bearers went from 4,128 to 4,230 (+2.5% change). The surname moved up 443 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,016 to #7,573.
FAQ
Cordeiro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cordeiro?
Name Census estimates that about 4,851 living Americans carry the surname Cordeiro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,656 residents.
How common is Cordeiro?
Cordeiro ranks #7,573 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,230 people with the surname Cordeiro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,851), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cordeiro.
Has Cordeiro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cordeiro went from 4,128 recorded bearers to 4,230. That is an increase of 102 (+2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,016 to #7,573.
What does the Census say about the background of Cordeiro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cordeiro, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cordeiro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.9% (3,424 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cordeiro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.9%), Hispanic (8.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Cordeiro (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 Cordeiro mean?
An occupational surname referring to a rope maker or cord maker. 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 Cordeiro (1.42 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 last name Cordeiro?
Find out how common the surname Cordeiro is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.