Contents [hide]

Cardinal History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Cardinal History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The French name Cardinal has a history dating as far back as the Middle Ages. This history is intrinsically entwined with that region known as Languedoc, for it was derived from when the Cardinal family lived in Languedoc. But the name may have been of nickname origin too. In this case, it may have been given to someone who habitually wore red, the color of the vestments worn by cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church.

Early Origins of the Cardinal family

The surname Cardinal was first found in Languedoc, where the family held a family seat from very early times.

Early History of the Cardinal family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cardinal research. Another 150 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1235, 1271, 1303 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Cardinal History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cardinal Spelling Variations

History has changed the spelling of most surnames. During the early development of the French language in the Middle Ages, a person gave his version of his name, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Some variables were adopted by different branches of the family name. Hence, there spelling variations of the name Cardinal, some of which include Cardinal, Chardinal, Cardinel, Cardonal, Cardonel, Chardonel, Cardenal, Cardenil, Cardinale, Cardinall, Cardinalle, Cardonall, Cardonale, Cardonalle, Cardonell, Cardonelle, Cardonele, Cardonnal, Chardinnal, Cardinnel, Cardonnal, Cardonnel, Cardennal, Cardennil, Cardinnale, Cardinnall, Cardinnalle, Cardonnall, Cardonnale, Cardonnalle, Cardonnell, Cardonnelle and many more.

Early Notables of the Cardinal family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Adam de Cardonnel (d. 1719), Secretary to the Duke of Marlborough, a son of Adam de Cardonnel, a...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cardinal Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cardinal World Ranking

In the United States, the name Cardinal is the 7,622^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Cardinal is ranked the 499^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,794 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Cardinal is the 355^th popular surname. 3 France ranks Cardinal as 5,305^th with 1,000 - 1,500 people. 4

Cardinal migration to Canada +

Immigration to New France was slow; therefore, early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Cardinal has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Cardinal were

Cardinal Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Jacques Cardinal, aged 5, who arrived in Montreal in 1659
Jean Cardinal, aged 1, who landed in Montreal in 1659
Simon Cardinal, who arrived in Montreal in 1659
Gabriel Cardinal, son of Simon-Jean and Michelle, who married Anne Phansèque, daughter of Christian and Catherine, in Montreal, Quebec on 7th April 1682 5
Jacques Cardinal, son of Simon-Jean and Michelle, who married Louise Arrivé, daughter of Jacques and Renée, in Montreal, Quebec on 23rd November 1682 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cardinal Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pierre Cardinal, son of Pierre and Marie-Catherine, who married Madeleine César, daughter of François and Anne, in Montreal, Quebec on 28th December 1712 5
Jacques Cardinal, son of Jacques and Louise, who married Jeanne Duguay, daughter of Jacques and Jeanne, in Montreal, Quebec on 17th February 1715 5
Daniel Cardinal, son of Pierre and Marie-Catherine, who married Marie-Madeleine Gibaut, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Anne, in Montreal, Quebec on 25th January 1717 5
Jean Cardinal, son of Ignace and Marie-Anne, who married Marie-Jeanne Galarneau, daughter of Charles and Geneviève, in Pointe-Claire, Quebec on 24th August 1721 5
Jean Cardinal married Marie-Cayer at Pointe-Claire, Québec in 1721
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cardinal migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Cardinal Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Henry Cardinal, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Candahar" in 1851 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Cardinal (post 1700) +

Brian Lee "The Custodian" Cardinal (b. 1977), American former professional basketball player
Lorne Cardinal, Canadian actor
Ralph J. Cardinal, American politician, Mayor of Malone, New York, 1935, 1938 7
Simone Odette Marie-Thérèse "Marie" Cardinal (1929-2001), French novelist
Melvin Percy Joseph Cardinal ECA (1941-2023), Canadian politician from Alberta, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Athabasca-Redwater (1993-2004) and (1989-1993)
Joseph-Narcisse Cardinal (1808-1838), French Canadian notary and politician who was the first person executed for taking part in the Lower Canada Rebellion
Jean-Guy Cardinal (1925-1979), French-Canadian nationalist politician in Quebec
Harold Cardinal (1945-2005), Canadian Cree writer, political leader, teacher, negotiator and lawyer
Fernando Alberto dos Santos Cardinal (b. 1985), known simply as Cardinal, a Portuguese professional futsal player
Aurèle Cardinal, French-Canadian contemporary architect, urban planner and academic, known for his redevelopment of the Old Port of Montreal
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Cardinal family +

Bismarck

Friedrich Cardinal (1910-1941), German Oberleutnant zur See who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 8

The Cardinal Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: L'âme et L'honneur
Motto Translation: My Soul and Honor

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CANDAHAR 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Candahar.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details