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

Cordero, 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 Cordero surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cordero in America

Cordero is the 1164th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cordero surname appeared 30,158 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Cordero.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cordero 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 Cordero

The surname Cordero has its origins in the Spanish language, tracing back to the medieval period on the Iberian Peninsula. It is derived from the Spanish word "cordero," meaning "lamb," which is believed to have its roots in the Latin word "corderius."

The name Cordero likely originated as a descriptive surname, possibly given to someone who worked with lambs or sheep, or who had a physical resemblance to a lamb. In some cases, it may have been an occupational surname for a shepherd or someone involved in the wool trade.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cordero can be found in the 13th-century Spanish manuscript known as the "Libro de las Behetrías," which documented the names of landowners and vassals in various regions of Castile.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Cordero surname appeared in various historical records across Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia, Extremadura, and Castile. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include:

1. Pedro Cordero (c. 1460-1516), a Spanish priest and scholar who served as the Bishop of Almería and Guadix.
2. Antonio Cordero (c. 1470-1535), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro.
3. María Cordero (c. 1525-1590), a Spanish noblewoman and landowner from Seville, known for her philanthropic work and support of religious institutions.

As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas, the Cordero surname was carried by settlers and colonists to various regions of Latin America, including Mexico, Peru, Argentina, and Chile.

In the 17th century, a notable figure with the Cordero surname was Juan Cordero de Burgos (c. 1620-1695), a Spanish Jesuit missionary who played a significant role in the evangelization efforts in the Philippines.

Throughout the centuries, the Cordero surname has been associated with various notable individuals in fields such as literature, politics, and the arts. For example, Juan Bautista Cordero (1794-1868) was a prominent Ecuadorian writer and politician, while José Cordero Delgado (1918-1994) was a renowned Mexican painter and sculptor.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cordero

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

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

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

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