Cardinal Family Crest & Name History

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Cardinale surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon.

Family name meaning

Cardinal is best understood alongside Cardinale: both are Italian spellings of one family name. Surname dictionaries give the meaning as “Cardinal”.

Without the “e” of Cardinale, Cardinal is a simpler written form of the same name. Census takers and immigration officers often wrote what they heard. Related forms: Cardinali. In the 2010 US Census, 4,580 Americans gave Cardinal as their last name (rank 7,275). French civil records give 2,200 births under the name Cardinal from 1891 to 2000, peaking in 1951–1960.

For the full story, order the Cardinal surname pack.