Explore the Family Name Cardiff
The meaning of Cardiff
Welsh and Irish: habitational name from the Welsh city of Cardiff in Glamorgan, named with Welsh caer ‘fort’ + the genitive singular of the river name Taf, from Welsh taf ‘water, stream’. The name was taken to Ireland in or shortly after 1171, following the acquisition of the kingdom of Leinster by ‘Strongbow’ (Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke) and of Dublin by Henry II, who granted the city to the burgesses of Bristol. The surname was Gaelicized as de Carduibh.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Cardiff in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Cardiff experienced a decline in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Cardiff was ranked 36,531st most popular surname, with a count of 578 people bearing it. However, by 2010, its rank had fallen to 42,455th and the count had decreased to 511 individuals, indicating an 11.59% drop in the number of people with this surname. The proportion of the Cardiff surname per 100,000 people also fell by 19.05% over this decade.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #36,531 | #42,455 | -16.22% |
| Count | 578 | 511 | -11.59% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.21 | 0.17 | -19.05% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cardiff
The ethnicity distribution for the Cardiff surname, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, shows some shifts between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals with this surname identified as White, although the percentage declined slightly from 95.85% to 93.15%. There were no individuals who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander or Black in either year. The percentage of people identifying as two or more races increased by 42.03%, while those identifying as Hispanic saw an increase of 54.74%. Notably, in 2010, there was a new ethnic identity reported: 0.98% of individuals with the Cardiff surname identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native, whereas this category had been 0% in 2000.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.85% | 93.15% | -2.82% |
| Hispanic | 1.9% | 2.94% | 54.74% |
| Two or More Races | 1.38% | 1.96% | 42.03% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.98% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |