Castañeda
A Spanish surname originally meaning someone from a place of chestnut trees or a chestnut grove.
The #464 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 4,326 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Castañeda comes from Spanish castaña, meaning "chestnut," ultimately from Latin castanea. The surname most likely began as a habitational name for someone from a place called Castañeda or from a landscape marked by chestnut trees. In Spanish naming practice, the ñ reflects the older palatal sound in the place-name and surname form.
History
The name is well established in Spain and later spread widely through the Spanish-speaking world. It is especially common in Latin America and in communities shaped by Spanish colonial migration. In modern records it often appears without the tilde as Castaneda, especially in English-language contexts.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same chestnut root appears in many Romance-language place names, not just surnames.