2000
#1,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.57
Uncommon Last name
Cordero
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a lamb herder or shepherd.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 35,715 Americans carry the last name Cordero. That puts it at #1,109 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,597 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cordero surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cordero with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
36K
1 in 9,597
Census rank
#1,109
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
31K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 31,145 bearers of the surname Cordero in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1109th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cordero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cordero
The surname Cordero has its origins in the Spanish language, tracing back to the medieval period on the Iberian Peninsula. It is derived from the Spanish word "cordero," meaning "lamb," which is believed to have its roots in the Latin word "corderius."
The name Cordero likely originated as a descriptive surname, possibly given to someone who worked with lambs or sheep, or who had a physical resemblance to a lamb. In some cases, it may have been an occupational surname for a shepherd or someone involved in the wool trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cordero can be found in the 13th-century Spanish manuscript known as the "Libro de las Behetrías," which documented the names of landowners and vassals in various regions of Castile.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Cordero surname appeared in various historical records across Spain, particularly in the regions of Andalusia, Extremadura, and Castile. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Pedro Cordero (c. 1460-1516), a Spanish priest and scholar who served as the Bishop of Almería and Guadix.
2. Antonio Cordero (c. 1470-1535), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro.
3. María Cordero (c. 1525-1590), a Spanish noblewoman and landowner from Seville, known for her philanthropic work and support of religious institutions.
As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas, the Cordero surname was carried by settlers and colonists to various regions of Latin America, including Mexico, Peru, Argentina, and Chile.
In the 17th century, a notable figure with the Cordero surname was Juan Cordero de Burgos (c. 1620-1695), a Spanish Jesuit missionary who played a significant role in the evangelization efforts in the Philippines.
Throughout the centuries, the Cordero surname has been associated with various notable individuals in fields such as literature, politics, and the arts. For example, Juan Bautista Cordero (1794-1868) was a prominent Ecuadorian writer and politician, while José Cordero Delgado (1918-1994) was a renowned Mexican painter and sculptor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cordero
Among Census respondents with the surname Cordero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Cordero bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cordero surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.7% · 26,678
- White7.1% · 2,204
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.2% · 1,612
- Two or more races0.9% · 282
- Black or African American0.9% · 269
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 100
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cordero
Cordero appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,158
+7,031 bearers (+30.4%)
Per 100,000 10.22
Rank movement Up 245 places
2020
#1,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,145
+987 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 10.42
Rank movement Up 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,409 | 23,127 | 8.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,164 | 30,158 | 10.22 | +7,031 bearers (+30.4%) | Up 245 places |
| 2020 | #1,109 | 31,145 | 10.42 | +987 bearers (+3.3%) | Up 55 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cordero surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,164 | #1,109 | 4.7% |
| Count | 30,158 | 31,145 | 3.3% |
| Per 100K | 10.22 | 10.42 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cordero bearers went from 30,158 to 31,145 (+3.3% change). The surname moved up 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,164 to #1,109.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cordero
FAQ
Cordero surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cordero?
Name Census estimates that about 35,715 living Americans carry the surname Cordero. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,597 residents.
How common is Cordero?
Cordero ranks #1,109 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 31,145 people with the surname Cordero. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (35,715), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Cordero.
Has Cordero become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cordero went from 30,158 recorded bearers to 31,145. That is an increase of 987 (+3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,164 to #1,109.
What does the Census say about the background of Cordero?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cordero, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.7%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cordero in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (26,678 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cordero appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.7%), White (7.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cordero (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cordero mean?
A Spanish occupational surname referring to a lamb herder or shepherd. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cordero (10.42 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Cordero?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.