Show ContentsCardoso History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the historical and enchanting region of Spain emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Cardoso family. The original bearer of the name Cardoso, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful place named Cardenas in the region of Castilla la Vieja or in the place named Cardenas in the Rioja region. The place-name Cardenas is derived from the Aragonese word "cardelina," which means goldfinch. In Spanish, local surnames are often preceded by de, which is a prefix that means of or from and is indicative of a toponymic origin.

Early Origins of the Cardoso family

The surname Cardoso was first found in La Rioja, in northern Spain.

Early History of the Cardoso family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cardoso research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1223, 1529, 1765, 1569 and 1588 are included under the topic Early Cardoso History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cardoso Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Cárdenas, de Cárdenas, Cardenas, de Cardenas, Cárdena, de Cárdena, Cardena, de Cardena, Cardenes, de Cardenes, Cardo, de Cardo and many more.

Early Notables of the Cardoso family (pre 1700)

Notable bearers of the family name Cardoso were Diego Cárdenas y Macón, a soldier of the Reconquest who fought for Ferdinand and Isabella to recapture Granada; Diego de Cárdenas y Enríquez, created Duke of Maqueda in 1529; Agustín de Cárdenas y Castellón, created Marquis of Cárdenas de Montehermoso in 1765; nineteenth century Nicaraguan politician Adán Cárdenas; nineteenth century Spanish writer and military officer Miguel Cárdenas y Chávez; nineteenth century Cuban writer José María de Cárdenas y Rodríguez; nineteenth century...
Another 78 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cardoso Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cardoso Ranking

In the United States, the name Cardoso is the 9,049th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1] However, in France, the name Cardoso is ranked the 1,333rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,254 people with that name. [2]


United States Cardoso migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cardoso Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Julian Cardoso, who arrived in America in 1835 [3]
  • Rodrigo Cardoso, who arrived in Veragua in 1835 [3]
  • Manuel Cardoso, who landed in New Granada in 1855 [3]
  • Marquesina Cardoso, who arrived in New Granada in 1855 [3]
  • Marquina Cardoso, who landed in New Granada in 1855 [3]

Contemporary Notables of the name Cardoso (post 1700) +

  • William Joseph "Bill" Cardoso (1937-2006), American journalist
  • Orlando Drummond Cardoso (1919-2021), Brazilian actor, voice actor, and comedian, best known for his works as Seu Peru in the series Escolinha do Professor Raimundo and also as the voice of Scooby-Doo, Alf, and Popeye
  • António Cardoso e Cunha (1933-2021), Portuguese Social Democratic Party (PSD) politician
  • Rodolfo Tan Cardoso (1937-2013), Filipino chess International Master
  • Jorge Cardoso (b. 1949), Argentine composer and medical doctor
  • Fernando Henrique Cardoso (b. 1931), President of the Federative Republic of Brazil for two terms from January 1, 1995 to December 31, 2002
  • Elizete Cardoso (1920-1990), Brazilian singer and actress
  • José Cardoso Dutra (1937-2022), Brazilian politician, member of the Brazilian Democratic Movement and later the Brazilian Labour Party, he served in the Legislative Assembly of Amazonas from 1971 to 1979 and again from 1983 to 1987
  • Renan Cardoso Domingues (b. 1988), Brazilian football midfielder


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)


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