Cardinal Boy
Name Meaning & Origin Pronunciation: KAR-din-al //ˈkɑːrdɪnəl//
Origin: Latin; English
Meaning: from the Latin 'cardinalis' meaning 'principal' or 'important'; also refers to the ecclesiastical title in English
Historical & Cultural Background
The name Cardinal originates from the Latin word 'cardinalis', which denotes something of primary importance. In the Christian tradition, cardinals are senior ecclesiastical leaders, emphasizing the name's significance in religious contexts.
In English, the term has been adopted to signify importance or rank, further embedding it in cultural usage. The name also evokes imagery of the cardinal bird, known for its vibrant color and presence in North America.
Famous people named Cardinal
In this section, you will find notable people named Cardinal. We include individuals across a wide range of fields, including actors known for their work in film, television, and stage productions. You'll also find musicians, directors, and other public figures named Cardinal who have made a significant impact on popular culture.
We also feature individuals named Cardinal who have made meaningful contributions to science, politics, athletics, literature, and other areas of public interest.
Please note that not every baby name in our database currently has a famous namesake listed. If you would like to suggest a name we may have missed or submit a correction, feel free to contact us. We review and finalize additions and corrections within 24 hours.
Cardinal Richelieu — French clergyman and statesman.
Cardinal Newman — English theologian and poet.
Fictional characters named Cardinal
The following list of fictional characters named Cardinal is a work in progress. If you would like to suggest an additional character, please send us the character's name along with a brief, one-sentence description of what they are best known for.
You may also submit corrections, which we will review and update as quickly as possible.
Cardinal Fang — Monty Python's The Meaning of Life.
Sibling suggestions
If you're looking for sibling name ideas that pair well with Cardinal, the following options are frequently chosen as complementary choices by parents.
U.S. Historical Usage
The name Cardinal was first seen in the United States in 2021.
Cardinal has ranked as high as #1357 nationally, which occurred in 2021, and has been most popular in .
In the past 5 years the name Cardinal has been trending up compared to the previous 5 years.
Popularity Over Time (National)
The name Cardinal is part of our comprehensive baby names database, which includes Social Security Administration (SSA) data dating back to 1880—the first official year of state and national tracking. The chart below shows when Cardinal was first recorded in the United States and illustrates how its popularity has risen and fallen over time.
Top States for Cardinal
We track the most popular states for each baby name every year and highlight the locations where the name appears most frequently. In some cases, you may see four or five states listed. However, we only display states where the name represents a significant percentage of births, so the number of states shown can range from one to several.
No state data available for this year.
Popularity Over Time (National) — Table
We track the national popularity of each baby name annually. The table below displays each year along with the number of births reported by the Social Security Administration. This data combines all state-level reporting from the SSA's baby names database to provide a comprehensive view of overall birth counts for Cardinal.
| Year | Births |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 6 |