8,467 Global CARDOSO Family Members

CARDOSO Family History

Recorded in many spellings including Cardenas, Cardozo, Cardoso, Cardero, Cardenoso, Cardenosa, and Cardenoza, this is a Spanish habitational or locational surname. It describes a person who originally lived by an area where the blue purple fern with severe gorse-like needles known as the 'Cardeno' grew, or who came from a place so named. 'Cardeno' itself is an ancient word from the period two thousand years ago when Spain was a Roman colony around the time of Christ. The original spelling was 'Carduus' meaning 'thistle', to which was added the word 'tierras' - land, although this suffix is now all but lost.