Cardoza
A surname of Iberian origin, probably referring to someone from or near a place called Cardozo/Cardoza.
The #2,812 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,076 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Cardoza is generally treated as a Spanish or Portuguese surname tied to a place-name rather than a personal characteristic. The underlying form is usually connected with cardo, a word for a thistle or similar prickly plant, so the place-name likely meant a field or area where such plants grew. In some families it may also reflect the spelling habits of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking regions, where -za and -zo variants could alternate.
History
The surname is found in Iberian and, later, Latin American and Portuguese-speaking communities, and it also spread through migration to the Americas. Spelling has often varied between Cardoza, Cardozo, and Cardoso, sometimes within the same wider family network. In the United States, Cardoza is especially associated with Hispanic and Sephardic Jewish lines, though the name can have more than one independent origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Cardoza is closely related in shape to the much more common Cardozo, and the two are often discussed together in surname histories.