Frequency: (6554)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Spanish (Cárdenas): habitational name from places in the provinces of Almería and Logroño named Cárdenas, from the feminine plural of cárdeno ‘blue’, ‘bluish purple’ (Late Latin cardinus, from carduus ‘thistle’). Presumably the noun tierras ‘lands’ is to be understood, and the reference is to land covered with bluish plants, such as thistles or vines.
GIVEN NAMES: Spanish 52%. Jose (200), Juan (99), Jesus (71), Luis (67), Carlos (66), Raul (55), Manuel (49), Francisco (48), Jorge (45), Mario (40), Roberto (40), Miguel (37).
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
