Retana
A likely Spanish surname from a place-name, especially associated with Spain and Spanish-speaking communities.
The #8,832 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 83,220 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Retana is most likely a habitational surname, taken from a place-name rather than from a personal description or occupation. In Spanish surname formation, names ending in -a often preserve the name of a village, estate, or locality. The ultimate root of the place-name is not certain from general evidence alone, so the surname is best treated as a location-based name with uncertain deeper etymology.
History
The surname appears in Spanish-speaking areas and later in diaspora communities, including the United States. As with many habitational surnames, it would originally have identified someone who came from, owned land in, or had some connection to a place called Retana. Because it is relatively uncommon, detailed historical tracing is less standardised than for more widespread Spanish surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Surnames built from place-names were especially useful in medieval and early modern Spain for distinguishing people who shared the same given names.