| CARDENAS Spanish (Cárdenas): habitational name from places in the
provinces of Almería and Logroño named Cárdenas, from the
feminine plural of cárdeno ‘blue’, ‘bluish purple’ (Late
Latin cardinus, from carduus ‘thistle’). Presumably the
noun tierras ‘lands’ is to be understood, and the reference is
to land covered with bluish plants, such as thistles or vines. Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4 |