Cárdenas (surname)


Cárdenas is a locational surname originated in La Rioja, Spain. It comes from a noble house of Viscay belonging to the low nobility. In Spain, Cárdenas is the 287th most frequently surname, accounting for 0.37% of the population. It is the 296th most popular surname in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia.

History

The origin of this surname can be found at the beginnings of the 13th century. It was given to Don Sancho López de Haro, grandson of Don Lope Díaz de Haro, IX Lord of Biscay. Don Sancho was given the title of I Lord of the villa of Cárdenas, in la Rioja, after his role in the battle of Navas de Tolosa in 1212. After him, his descendants inherited the surname.
Many of these Cárdenas people held important positions of influence in the Castillian politics through most of the late Middle Ages. As an example, we can find members of the Cárdenas house as knights of the Order of Calatrava, from the 13th to the 15th centuries, and also members like Don Alonso de Cárdenas, last Grand Master of the Order of Santiago, or Don Gutierre de Cárdenas, Mayor Treasurer of the Kingdom of Castille.
One of the most famous members of the Cárdenas family is García López de Cárdenas, Spanish conquistador of the 16th century and the first European who discovered the Grand Canyon in Colorado.

Etymology

Some theorists say that was originally used by people living in areas where "Cardenos" grew. Cardenos came from the Latin word "Carduus" which means Thistle. However, it's believed that its origin comes from the villa of Cárdenas, located in La Rioja in the north of Spain.
The Cárdenas came from northern Spain, and after the conquest of the Americas by the Spaniards, they spread into regions like Venezuela, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Cuba. The surname is also brought into the Philippines by the Spaniards during its 333 years of colonization.

People