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

de Cárdenas, 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 de Cárdenas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of de Cárdenas in America

de Cárdenas is the 52851st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The de Cárdenas surname appeared 392 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname de Cárdenas.

We can also compare 2010 data for de Cárdenas 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 de Cárdenas

The surname DECARDENAS has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish words "de" meaning "from" and "cardenas" meaning "thistles," referring to a location abundant with thistles or related to the thistle plant in some way.

One of the earliest recorded instances of this name can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a medieval hunting treatise from the reign of Alfonso XI of Castile (1312-1350). The text mentions a certain Pero Ruyz de Cardenas, a nobleman involved in hunting activities.

During the 15th century, the DECARDENAS surname gained prominence through the exploits of Gutierre de Cárdenas (c. 1420-1503), a Spanish military leader and diplomat who played a crucial role in the Reconquista. He was appointed as the first Duke of Maqueda by the Catholic Monarchs.

Another notable figure was Alonso de Cárdenas (1453-1512), a Spanish prelate who served as the Bishop of Ávila and played a significant role in the administration of the Spanish Inquisition. He was also the confessor and advisor to Queen Isabella I of Castile.

In the 16th century, the DECARDENAS surname was further spread across the Spanish Empire through the conquests and settlements in the Americas. One such figure was Bernardino de Cárdenas (c. 1540-1609), a Spanish soldier and explorer who participated in the colonization efforts in present-day Colombia and Panama.

The DECARDENAS surname can also be found in historical documents related to the Spanish colonial presence in the Philippines. For instance, Juan de Cárdenas y Rodríguez (1563-1609) was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of the Philippines from 1594 to 1596.

Throughout history, various spellings and variations of the surname have been recorded, such as Cárdenas, Cardenas, and Cardena. Additionally, some individuals with this surname were associated with specific place names, like the town of Cárdenas in Cuba or the municipality of Cárdenas in Spain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name de Cárdenas

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

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

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

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